Lok Sabha polls: DEO Bandipora briefs banks regarding monitoring of election expenditure

Bandipora, Mar 18: The District Election Officer (DEO) Bandipora, Shakeel ul Rehman on Monday convened a meeting with representatives of various banks to discuss and coordinate efforts for the smooth conduct of the upcoming electoral process for Lok Sabha Election-2024.
Nodal Officer MCC/ADC Umar Shafi Pandit, DyDEO Mohammad Rafeeq Bhat, Nodal Officer Expenditure Monitoring Committee/ DTO Bandipora, Sheikh Aabid Manzoor, Member Expenditure Monitoring Committee/ DIO Bandipora Dr. Naseer Ahmad, LDM Bandipora and Brach Heads of all Banks operating in the district were also present on the occasion.
The DEO on the occasion emphasized the importance of maintaining financial integrity throughout the electoral process and directed Banks to adhere strictly to guidelines and procedures of Election Commission of India to prevent any instances of malpractice or misuse of funds.
He highlighted the role of banks in election expenditure monitoring and asked them to monitor unusual transactions and suspicious transactions to ensure elections are held in a fair manner.
The DEO directed the banks operating in the district to open dedicated counters for election purposes to facilitate prompt service to the candidates.
Nodal Officer Expenditure monitoring, Sheikh Abid Manzoor also highlighted the role of banks in expenditure monitoring and asked the concerned officers of banks to submit daily reports to the District Election Office regarding the suspicious withdrawal of cash during elections.
He asked them to monitor unusual and suspicious cash withdrawal or deposit of cash in a bank exceeding Rs.one lac and unusual transfer of amount through RTGS during the election process.
He also asked the bank heads to monitor cash deposit and withdrawal from bank accounts of political parties besides monitoring online and digital transactions.
The Nodal Officer Expenditure Monitoring Committee also stressed on banks to ensure the following of necessary SOPs for transporting Cash by ATM Vans and ensure that the cash vans shall not under any circumstances transport cash of any third party.