EC bans official meetings by executive authorities in Haryana

Taking a serious note of "executive machinery of the state" (Haryana), including Chief Secretary holding meetings with the field staff to review election preparedness, the Election Commission today reiterated the ban of 2008 on holding of such meetings.
"It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that Senior Officers of the State government like the Chief Secretaries and other Senior Secretaries call senior civil and police officers of the district administration for meetings to review some administrative issue or other," Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana, Shrikant Walgad, said in a release here.
He said that the Commission's letter dated September 2, 2008 "strictly prohibits holding such meetings or video conferences by the executive machinery of the state."

Election to the 90 member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to be held on October 15 and counting of votes is to take place four days later.
"However, if any exigency exists which warrants such meeting to be held by Chief Secretaries or DGPs, the government would take prior permission of the Commission in the matter, giving reasons for holding such meetings," Walgad said.