Kerosene not diesel for polling team vehicles

Hundreds of trucks and other vehicles were today parked outside the block office of the Loisinga block development officer. The vehicles were supposed to carry ballot-boxes and the poling teams to different booths for conduct of the fourth phase of the panchayat elections on Friday. But all hell broke loose when the block office employees called out the driving staff of the vehicles for filling of fuel. Instead of diesel the block office employees had stored thousands of litres of kerosene and compelling the driving staff to fill the tanks of the vehicles. Said Biren Mishra, president, Bolangir Truck Owners` Association,"The block office staff responsible for the irregularities should be punished."

The polling teams were to be despatched from Loisinga block office to several destinations for the panchayat polls. It was the duty of the block development officer and his staff to make arrangements for diesel for hundreds of vehicles. Instead of diesel the block office staff however preferred kerosene over diesel for the vehicles. Little did the employees realise that it was a criminal offence and one can be jailed even.