The Greater Chennai Corporation has distributed SIR forms to 41% of voters,
but only a small number have been returned to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Many residents are confused about how to fill in the details from 2005, which
has caused delays in submission.
R. Ramesh from Old Washermenpet said that the section asking for relatives’
names is difficult to understand. I also don’t have my father’s voter roll
details. Political party workers are pressuring us to return the forms quickly,
but what if they get rejected? We’re waiting for proper instructions from
election officials,” he said.
Geetha Ganesh from Velachery said the BLOs advised them to fill in only the
constituency name if older voter roll details are missing. “I found my details,
but my husband’s old records are not available. So, we are waiting before
submitting the forms,” she said.
Several BLOs reported that very few voters have submitted their forms. Yamuna,
a BLO from Royapuram, said she distributed 550 forms, but only 10 have been
returned. “We walk through the same streets every day, but people are not
filling up the forms. They also don’t ask for any help. Most people just
take the forms and keep them,” she said.