A 45-year-old voter from Kolkata endured an exhausting and distressing eight-hour ordeal while trying to rectify a long-standing error in the electoral roll, highlighting significant procedural hurdles in the grievance redressal system.
A Day-Long Struggle for Correction
Srabani Roychowdhury, a resident near Sinthi More under the Cossipore–Belgachhia Assembly constituency, faced extreme harassment during a hearing process held on Thursday. The hearing was necessitated by persistent issues with her father's documents in the last Supplementary Integrated Roll (SIR).
Roychowdhury explained the core of the problem: her father passed away before 2002, and she got married in the year 2000. Despite having voted previously, she discovered her name was missing from the 2002 SIR list. To her shock, her maternal grandfather's name appeared in place of her father's name on that list, an error she was completely unaware of for years.
Procedural Hurdles and Physical Toll
Her attempt to correct this anomaly turned into a marathon session. "I stood in line from 10 am and it was completed at 6 pm," she recounted. The physical toll was severe, especially given her health condition. "I have diabetes and had to run around all day without lunch. I have been suffering from knee pain since last night," she added.
The process was marred by a lack of clear communication and repeated demands. She presented all her old documents, and photocopies were taken. However, officials asked for documents from before the year 2000 for both her and her husband. She pointed out that providing such documents was impossible as they got married in 2000 itself.
Systemic Issues and a Call for Efficiency
Roychowdhury's experience underscores a critical gap in the voter service system: the absence of prior intimation about required documents. "If they had stated in advance what was required, it would not have been so difficult to arrange," she stated. This lapse forced her to make multiple trips to a photocopy centre, adding to the day's chaos and inconvenience.
Her story is not just an isolated account of hardship but a stark reminder of the procedural inefficiencies that can disenfranchise and harass ordinary citizens trying to fulfil their democratic right. It calls for a more empathetic, streamlined, and transparent grievance redressal mechanism within the electoral machinery, especially for elderly or ailing voters.
