The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Some 50,000 military troops and adequate paramilitary BDR patrols started patrolling all metropolitan, district and upazila areas on Sunday to build up foolproof security for the ninth parliamentary elections.

The security personnel went on patrol as part extensive security measures taken up by Home Ministry following instruction of the Election Commission to help in holding peacefully the polls now scheduled for December 29 after lots of political hiccups.

A total of 6,000 members of the elite-force RAB as well as a sufficient number of Armed Police Battalion (APBn) personnel will also start performing their election-security duties from December 24 to further beef up the security bulwark.

Besides, about 466,000 members of Ansar will be on duty for the general election, which was earlier stalled in January last year amid a crisis over the election issues.

Home Ministry officials said the members of the armed forces, BDR, Coast Guard, RAB and APBn would work as striking forces to thwart any trouble and "maintain peace in every constituency across the country".

A total of 35,216 polling-centres will be set up with 177,107 polling-booths for voting. The number of voters is 8,10,58,698, including 4,12,36,149 females.

Security planning has been done dividing the polling centres as general and important categories.

A team of 18 law-enforcers comprising police, Ansar and village police will be deployed at each important polling-center while 14 at general polling-center to maintain security in metropolitan areas. The number is 16 and 14 outside the metropolitan areas.

Eighteen teams comprising Navy and Coast Guard will be on duty as striking force in the coastal districts. The Armed Forces Division will keep ready adequate number of helicopters to transport manpower and goods as well as for maintaining peace in remote areas, including the hill districts.

Members of the law-enforcing agencies who will be deployed at polling-centres will have to be present at the respective station along with the Presiding Officer, Assistant Presiding Officers, Polling Officers and polling goods a day before the polling date.

Similarly, they will return from the centre with electioneering goods after completion of the election.

"Members of the law-enforcing agencies will be under the Presiding Officer concerned until depositing ballot papers, ballot boxes and election results after election," a Home Ministry release said.