Records of poll code violation cases gutted in Mantralaya fire

All records pertaining to cases of poll code violation registered against candidates in the last three Lok Sabha elections and action taken against them by the state election commission got destroyed in a 2012 fire mishap at Mantralaya, an RTI query has revealed.
"Public Information Officer Shirish Mohod in the office of the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has informed us that all files and records pertaining to our query got destroyed in the massive fire incident at Mantralaya on June 21, 2012.
"Hence he CEO's office has no records to provide information to our queries," said activist Anil Galgali who had sought the information through a query on April 7, 2014.

Galgali had also sought to know the exact number of MPs disqualified for violating the poll code and also details of re-polls conducted on seats represented by them.
In its reply, the General Administration Department (GAD) informed Galgali that CEO's office has no records to give information regarding the query.
Galgali demanded strong action against those candidates who have violated the model code of conduct which he said should act as a "deterrent" for future violations.

"It is very sad and unfortunate that, despite the orders of the chief minister and the chief secretary of Maharashtra to reconstruct all files destroyed in the blaze, the GAD looking into the election work has ignored the restoration work," he said.

Five persons were killed and several others injured, besides loss of many files, in the fire accident at the state secretariat.
Offices of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar were gutted in the blaze.