SIR ROLLOUT hits roadblock as voters struggle to trace 2003 cards

THE GUIDELINES | Require voters to produce their 2003 EPIC number

- Our Staff Reporter

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists has left residents and Booth Level Officers scrambling, as thousands fail to trace 2003 voter records, a key requirement in the current verification process.

The issue is sharper in colonies built after 2003 and among voters who moved to Bhopal or turned 18 after that year.

Boundary changes following delimitation and renamed assembly segments have added to the disorder, making old records harder to match with present electoral lists.

In Sanjeev Nagar Colony near Central Jail, BLO Aarti Shastri is working to verify 1,300 voters. Many homes remain locked, and many residents, she says, cannot locate their 2003 Electors Photo Identity Card numbers. “People are finding it very difficult to trace numbers from 2003,” she said.