Hyderabad: Lack of documents, especially those of parents, is hindering many voters from completing their SIR hearings, with officials saying they are forced to reschedule about 50% of hearings to give citizens time to obtain the required documents.Most of these reschedules are being done informally to give voters more time. Officials said they are asking voters, especially those who are uneducated, to apply for and obtain documents such as a caste certificate or passport and submit them before Nov 5 so that their names can make it to the final electoral roll.“There is no reason to panic as voters can submit documents until Nov 5. We are postponing or rescheduling about 50% of hearings — this can be either for a few days or for longer when a voter asks for time to submit the required documents,” said Nalla Venkata Reddy, Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Medchal constituency. He said voters are being advised to apply for and obtain the documents within a month or less.Seconding Reddy, V Surender, ERO, Chandrayangutta, said voters turning up for hearings are asking for more time to submit documents. “Many, especially those whose parents are no more, are unable to find their parents’ documents. In such cases, we are asking them to come back again in three to four days. It all depends on a case-to-case basis,” he added.As per Election Commission of India norms, those born before July 1, 1987, have to submit only their own documents, while those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, have to also submit a document of one of their parents along with their own. For voters born after December 2, 2004, documents of both parents, along with their own documents, are required.“My wife is uneducated, so there is no question of producing her SSC or other documents, and she doesn’t have a passport. We are trying to figure out what documents we can produce to ensure that her name makes it to the final list,” said Sohail Khan, who lives in Serilingampally constituency.Members of civil society organisations and social activists from Telangana, meanwhile, said voters must be given access to the full status of their case, including documents submitted, documents uploaded by the BLO, hearing details, comments or remarks, among others.They further said officials must ensure that if any document or explanation is found insufficient, the voter is informed in writing about the specific deficiency and given a reasonable opportunity to submit further documents or clarification before any adverse decision is taken ahead of the final publication of the electoral roll.“The Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana, must publish daily statistics, constituency-wise, showing the number of notices issued, the number of voters who attended hearings, the number of voters whose claims were approved, and the number of voters whose claims were rejected, among other details,” said SQ Masood, an activist.
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