Jamshedpur: For hundreds of teachers deputed as booth level officers (BLOs) in urban Jamshedpur, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has become a punishing test of endurance, with many claiming they are getting barely three to four hours of sleep a night.Govt-aided school teachers, who make up a sizeable section of the BLO workforce in East Singhbhum district, said they spend regular school hours teaching before fanning out in the evenings to distribute enumeration forms, help voters — especially senior citizens — fill them, and then upload documents on the Election Commission’s mobile application late into the night.“Each form takes more than five minutes to upload. Most of us have nearly 1,400 forms. By the time the uploading is complete, it is often past midnight. We wake up again before dawn to attend school,” said a woman BLO posted in Sonari. “I have developed severe neck pain and constant eye strain. With barely three to four hours of sleep, it is becoming difficult to concentrate in class,” she added.Several BLOs said the pressure has remained relentless for nearly two months, with Sundays often consumed by review meetings and field assignments.“We have practically lost our Sundays. There is no compensatory leave despite working throughout the week. The workload is mentally and physically exhausting,” said another teacher deputed as BLO from Bistupur.Women BLOs said the strain continues after official work hours. “After returning home, we still have household responsibilities. We help our children with homework and prepare them for terminal examinations before beginning the digital uploading work late at night,” said a BLO from Sakchi.A teacher from Kadma said she had to sacrifice her summer vacation. “Since this is an essential govt assignment, schools should provide temporary relief from academic duties until the exercise is over,” she said.East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Rajiv Ranjan acknowledged the concerns. “The concerns raised by the teacher-BLOs are genuine. We will take up the matter with the respective school administrations so that they can be given suitable relief from academic responsibilities, wherever feasible, until the SIR is completed,” he told TOI.
A BLO carries out SIR work at a polling booth in Kolhan
