The distribution of enumeration forms remains uninitiated in several condominiums within the city, three days after the special intensive revision (SIR) commenced in Bengal. Residents of the few residential complexes where the process has started said that there has been chaos.
Many residents of high-rises are worried when the booth-level officers (BLOs) will come and are calling up the residents’ associations to seek help.
South City Residency is one of the city condos where the distribution of enumeration forms started on Tuesday, the first day of the Bengal SIR.
Residents in South City said initially the BLOs had started door-to-door visits, but the exercise was cut short because of alleged “technical problems”. Now, a camp is being organised at their community hall.
“First, there was an Internet connectivity issue in the lobbies of the upper floors. The BLOs were facing problems in contacting the residents. Going door to door was time-consuming. Then the format was scrapped. Now a camp is being held at the community hall,” said a resident.
The secretary of the housing complex, Debasish Basu, said around 550 forms were distributed in two days.
One resident of South City said the residents’ association had initially informed them that the form distribution process would continue for three days. “Later, they extended it to seven days.”
One woman, who had gone to collect the forms for her family, said it was chaotic. “On the first day, I went to the camp but was asked to come the next day. On Wednesday, I went with some of our neighbours. There was a long queue and we had to stand for half an hour,” she said on Thursday.
“There were residents who were breaking the queue and forcibly moving in front. We protested,” said the woman.
After ensuring their forms had arrived, the woman was handed a token. “I was asked to go after 2pm to the community hall and show the token to collect the forms. Then there was no queue,” she said.
Several residents expressed concern about what will happen to those who are out of town.
“Will the BLOs come next week also? And those who are abroad, how will they get the forms?” asked one resident in their WhatsApp group.
Another resident complained that he had to wait in line to collect the token, but by the time his turn came, the tokens were exhausted.
An executive committee member of the housing society said they were issuing 100 tokens a day to ensure that residents can come at their own time, according to their token number, instead of waiting in the queue.
“The distribution started on November 4. There was a rush on the first day. On the second day, fewer people came. Today, the number was fewer. We have mailed all residents informing them that there is nothing to panic about. The officials will come to our campus till November 18 to distribute and collect the filled-out forms,” said the official.
A resident said that he would have preferred if the BLO had gone door-to-door instead of sitting in a camp.
A society official mentioned that the door-to-door service is still an option for those who choose not to go to the camp.
“We are giving people this option (of door-to-door distribution), too. But most people do not want to wait for the BLOs to visit their home. They want to collect the forms fast at the camp,” he said.
Many housing societies are still undecided on the format of the form distribution.
A doctor living in a condo off EM Bypass asked the residents’ association about when the distribution of forms would begin. “They are still not clear when,” he said.
Residents of a complex near the Ruby Hospital crossing said their BLO had visited the premises thrice till Thursday.
“The BLO visited door to door. She also went to the common lobby and used a public address system to announce that residents could also meet her in the lobby with the required documents because it was difficult and time-consuming to go door to door,” said a resident who has yet to get her form.
Upohar Luxury Complex, off Bypass, which has 588 units, will follow a “camp” format for form distribution.
“The BLO will inform the association soon about the date of the visit. It will be done in a camp format,” a resident said.
The society association at Urbana will organise camps where BLOs will distribute forms, said a resident. “Those who will not be able to attend the camps, will be reached out at their homes,” he said.