Steps to ensure smooth LS polls

A meeting of senior officials of the revenue, police and excise departments in the border districts of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu concluded at Vythiri here on Thursday.

The meeting, chaired by Wayanad District Collector A.R. Ajayakumar, decided to intensify various preventive measures, including steps to check smuggling of liquor, in the wake of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Coordination

In a bid to ensure the smooth conduct of the polls, the meeting discussed common issues such as movement of contraband across the State borders, issues of coordination among the neighbouring districts, and pending non-bailable warrants, official sources said.

Besides strengthening the check-posts and intensifying patrol to prevent smuggling of liquor, the meeting decided to initiate a special drive to execute the pending warrants, keep a tight vigil on the movement of illegal arms and explosives, and movement of anti-national elements and provide necessary logistics for deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces, the sources said.

Top officials, including Kozhikode Collector Sreeram Sambasiva Rao, Malappuram Collector Amit Meena, Nilgiri Collector J. Innocent Divya, Wayanad District Police Chief R. Karuppasamy, and his counterparts in Nilgiris, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts Shanmuga Priya, Dharmendra Kumar Meena and Amith Singh respectively took part. Senior officials of excise, police and revenue departments of the three States also took part.