Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
The expenditure in coming election will increase due to enhanced security arrangement.
Sources said, cost of troops deployment during polls may be about 60 per cent of the total election budget.
More than six lakh security personnel, including, army, police, BGB, Coastguard, Ansar-VDP and RAB, will be stationed in the Polling Quarters during the 11th Parliamentary election to be held on December 30, the Election Commission (EC) announced earlier.
According to a consolidated EC estimate, the next general election will cost about Tk 732 crore.
The expenditure is apart from the procurement cost of EVM machines.
Anonymous sources said, the EC is likely to spend Tk 400 crore for deployment of troops during the elections across the country. The rest amount will be spent for the usual polling exercise, such as training, printing, remunerations, transportation and other related expenses.
The EC spent Tk 183 crore for deployment of security personnel in 2014 General Election.
“A general election is a gigantic exercise involving huge cost. The biggest costs will be incurred on deployment of security personnel
in the next election,” an EC official told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
Authorities of Police, RAB, BGB and Ansar have already sought Tk 512 crore allocations for deploying their personnel in the next polls.
Police and RAB have wanted Tk 224 crore, Ansar Tk 230 crore and BGB Tk 58 crore. But Bangladesh Army and Coastguard are yet to seek allocation from the EC.
EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed has said Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be deployed two to 10 days before the 11th Parliamentary Election.
The budget for 2014 general election was Tk 500 crore. But the EC could have spent Tk 283 crore as most of the members of parliament were elected uncontested.
“The government’s election expenditure has been increasing over the years due to rise of prices of election materials and remunerations of electoral staff and security arrangement,” said the EC official, adding, “The hike in expenditure is mainly due to better exercise of election.”
The expenditure in coming election will increase due to enhanced security arrangement.
Sources said, cost of troops deployment during polls may be about 60 per cent of the total election budget.
More than six lakh security personnel, including, army, police, BGB, Coastguard, Ansar-VDP and RAB, will be stationed in the Polling Quarters during the 11th Parliamentary election to be held on December 30, the Election Commission (EC) announced earlier.
According to a consolidated EC estimate, the next general election will cost about Tk 732 crore.
The expenditure is apart from the procurement cost of EVM machines.
Anonymous sources said, the EC is likely to spend Tk 400 crore for deployment of troops during the elections across the country. The rest amount will be spent for the usual polling exercise, such as training, printing, remunerations, transportation and other related expenses.
The EC spent Tk 183 crore for deployment of security personnel in 2014 General Election.
“A general election is a gigantic exercise involving huge cost. The biggest costs will be incurred on deployment of security personnel
in the next election,” an EC official told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
Authorities of Police, RAB, BGB and Ansar have already sought Tk 512 crore allocations for deploying their personnel in the next polls.
Police and RAB have wanted Tk 224 crore, Ansar Tk 230 crore and BGB Tk 58 crore. But Bangladesh Army and Coastguard are yet to seek allocation from the EC.
EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed has said Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be deployed two to 10 days before the 11th Parliamentary Election.
The budget for 2014 general election was Tk 500 crore. But the EC could have spent Tk 283 crore as most of the members of parliament were elected uncontested.
“The government’s election expenditure has been increasing over the years due to rise of prices of election materials and remunerations of electoral staff and security arrangement,” said the EC official, adding, “The hike in expenditure is mainly due to better exercise of election.”
