Dinajpur: A total of 4,993 CCTV cameras have been installed across 844 polling centres in six parliamentary constituencies of Dinajpur district. This move aims to ensure free, fair, and peaceful voting in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) election and referendum.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Additional District Magistrate Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui confirmed on Monday night that for the first time, CCTV cameras are being installed in every polling room within these centres. The installation follows the Election Commission’s announcement of the JS election schedule, after which renovations at polling centres were completed and electricity connections provided to those previously lacking power.
The Dinajpur Education Engineering Department (DEED) supervised the installation of the CCTV cameras, with work commencing two days prior to Monday night. As of then, all cameras were installed across 13 upazilas in the district.
DEED Executive Engineer Md Belal Ahmed stated that high-quality CCTV cameras have been installed in every polling room as per the Election Commission’s directives. Trial runs to make these cameras operational are set to begin from Tuesday morning, with all necessary measures taken to ensure their functionality ahead of the February 12 voting.
Dinajpur District Senior Election Officer Md Zilhaj Uddin highlighted that the integration of modern technology will allow presiding officers to monitor entire polling centres from their rooms. This setup aims to promptly identify any disruptions, ensuring a fair polling process.
A total of 16,614 personnel, including 887 presiding officers, 5,241 assistant presiding officers, and 10,486 polling officers, have been appointed to conduct the voting process. These appointments were made following initial scrutiny and reports from government agencies, ensuring no complaints from any party or candidate.
On voting day, 26 executive magistrates will be deployed across the 13 upazilas, with one judicial magistrate in each upazila. These magistrates, supported by law enforcement, will be on standby to address any incidents swiftly as per the Election Commission’s regulations.
Returning Officer and Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam confirmed that all preparations for peaceful voting on February 12 are complete, thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement and election officials.