Haryana Chief Electoral officer Anurag Agarwal on Thursday said cash amounting to Rs 11.50 crore has been seized in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections in the State. In addition to this, illegal liquor, narcotic substances, and valuable items worth Rs. 44.69 crore have also been confiscated. He said that to conduct the Lok Sabha General Elections 2024 in the State in a completely fair and transparent manner, all the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India, as well as the Model Code of Conduct, are being strictly enforced. The Commission is very strict about preventing voters from any kind of inducement, and various agencies in the State are keeping a close watch on the movement of illegal liquor, narcotic substances, and cash. Agarwal said that stringent action has been taken by the police, Income Tax Department, Excise and Taxation Department, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in the state after the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. As a result, a total of Rs 11.50 crore illicit cash has been seized, including Rs 5.48 crore seized by the police, Rs 3.03 crore by the Income Tax Department, Rs 2.98 crore by the Excise Department, and DRI. Besides this, various agencies have confiscated over 3,83,038 liters of illicit liquor valued at Rs 12.54 crore. This includes 2,78,613 liters seized by the police worth Rs 875.53 lakh and 1,04,401 liters seized by the Excise Department worth Rs 379 lakh, said Agarwal. He said that a total of 63.04 kg of drugs, narcotics worth Rs 13.32 crore, have been seized by the agencies. The police have seized narcotics worth Rs 13.28 crore. Additionally, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has confiscated 2 kg of drugs valued at Rs 4 lakh. Apart from this, valuables worth Rs 15.84 crore and other items worth Rs 2.97 crore have also been seized. 35,000 Policemen, 90 Paramilitary Companies & 24,000 Home Guard Personnel to be deployed during LS Election in Hry Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur said that over 35,000 personnel and 90 paramilitary companies will be deployed to ensure a peaceful and fair voting environment in the State. Additionally, over 24,000 Home Guard personnel will also be strategically stationed throughout the region to maintain law and order. Overall, the police will keep a close watch on every nook and corner of the state, he added. He said that with an extensive network of 20,606 polling stations established across 10,343 locations, effective security arrangements have been made to ensure smooth conduct of voting. Out of these, 3,033 polling stations at 1,362 locations have been identified as critical. Further 51 polling stations have been flagged as vulnerable, warranting heightened security measures, DGP added. Kapur said that to bolster vigilance, a network of 130 inter-state and 170 intra-state checkpoints has been established, supplemented by a fleet of 418 flying squads, 415 static surveillance teams, and 34 quick response teams. Furthermore, 1,039 patrolling parties have been mobilized to uphold law and order and ensure peaceful elections at the same time diligently adhering to the model code of conduct. In conjunction with Central forces, personnel from the Haryana Armed Police and the Indian Reserve Battalion have been tasked with safeguarding the integrity of the 91 designated strong rooms. Stringent measures have also been taken to regulate licensed firearms, with over 1,14,667 weapons securely deposited out of 133513 licensed weapons. Besides, 339 firearms have been seized, and licenses for 1,202 weapons have been revoked, in response to violations of the Model Code of Conduct, the DGP added.

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