November 30, 2025 • 22 mins
First, we talk to The Indian Express' Sweety Kumari about the protests happening in Kolkata. The protests are being led by Booth Level Officers or BLOs who are involved in the process of the Special Intensive Revision and their concern is that the work given to them is too stressful and the deadlines are unrealistic.
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Jayprakash S. Naidu about an archeological site in Chhattisgarh's Sirpur, known for its multi-religious culture. The ASI inspected the site and is planning to develop it further so that it can be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage status. (12:29)
Lastly, we talk about a controversial order that asked schools in Rajasthan to celebrate Shaurya Diwas on the 6th of December which is the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. (19:00)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma, and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Jayprakash S. Naidu about an archeological site in Chhattisgarh's Sirpur, known for its multi-religious culture. The ASI inspected the site and is planning to develop it further so that it can be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage status. (12:29)
Lastly, we talk about a controversial order that asked schools in Rajasthan to celebrate Shaurya Diwas on the 6th of December which is the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. (19:00)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma, and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode, we talk about the efforts to secure
UNESCO World Heritage status for an archaeological site in Chattazhkar.
We also discuss a recent government order in Rajasthan that
asked schools to celebrate December sixth, the anniversary of the
Barbari Mustered demolition as sure ad of us. But we
begin today in Kolkata, which is witnessing a protest by
(00:22):
hundreds of booth level officers. Hi I am Ahrikan Nanda
and you are listening to three things in an Express
News show. Across several states, the Election Commission's special intensive
revision of electoral rules is now facing growing strain on
(00:44):
the ground. Over the past week, this workload has become
a major flashpoint. States have reported stress related debts among
booth level officers, and in West Bengal, where the division
is underway, alongside nine other states and three Union territories,
hundreds of blos protested outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office,
(01:05):
saying the Election Commission's expectations are impossible to meet within
the unrealistic deadlines.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Asaiare is a process which has been initiated by Election
Commissioner India.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
This is the intet expresses Sweeti Kumari, who reported on
this for the paper.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To basically unify the electoral roles by removing duplicate, deceased
and shifted voters. Shifted voters as in those who have
changed their addresses. It is especially being done ahead of
upcoming elections. Now blos are at the heart of this
process because they are the election commissions I would say
(01:44):
foot soldiers on ground.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Who are these blos. They are typically local government or
school employees like teachers, anganwadi workers and they have been
assigned to specific polling booth areas. Now their duties require
them to interact directly with every voter, making them the
primary link between the Election Commission of India and citizen
(02:09):
for this entire sire process.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Now, the demonstration led by the BLO Rights Protection Association
escalated after a meeting with senior election officials failed to
address their concerns. So to break down what the blos
are demanding and how the CEO's office is responding, Mike
League Chasharma speaks to Sweetee in this segment.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Sweety, could you start by telling us what these blos
are alleging and what has prompted them to carry out
these protests.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So the blos are already state government employees. They are teachers,
they have their job. They are already you attending schools.
So when we are talking about the specific protest outside
the CEO office, this BLO, especially under the banner of
the BLO Adrika Rukshia Committee organized which is backed by GMC,
(03:02):
have been protesting outside the CEO OFICE primarily accusing that
the workload is completely inhuman and they have been in
excessive stress and the excessive workload ever since the shire
process started. And also the BLOS who are protesting outside
(03:22):
the CEO of his claims that the deadline given by
Election Commission of India to complete the task is unrealistic
and unscientific. Now the protests were intensified following reports of
you know, multiple blos date. We have been reading and
reporting that there have been debts where the families or
(03:42):
you know, even in few cases some of the disease
have also mentioned a higher process or excessive workload as
one of the reasons of them committing suicide. And we
spoke to some of the bl loads they before yesterdayday.
They said that the stress from the sa IR work
was one of the major contributing factor that they're sitting
(04:04):
on protest outside the CEO office and demanding that there
should be an extension of the deadlines. And uh, you know,
they basically wanted to see Election Commission of India to
show some empathy after few deaths that they claim that
were a fallout excessive work the BSIR process and threety.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
For those who may not know already what specific tasks
of blos being asked to complete, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
They have been asked to complete the submission of enumeration
form within a month, like from November fourth it started
and the deadline is the Vemberfore, sopecially, if you talk about,
the specific task that the blos have been given is
basically the door to door enumeration. So under this the
blos are expected to physically visit every household to distribute
(04:55):
partially or you know blank form which has a QR
code and these enumeration forms are given to electorals in
person and then those forms are collected from the door itself. Also,
their role includes a highly demanding task where blows are
basically expected to physically search the old intensive revision role
(05:19):
like in two thousand and two and two thousand three
to trace electorals or their adult relative to establish their
you know, relations to previous electoral role and record that
the old serial number are on the new form or no.
If an electoral misses out on these important information, it
(05:39):
is the responsibility of the BLOW that they should fill
up the mandatory required information by getting in touch with
the electoral Now. After this, their role also involves taking
those thousands of completed enumeration forms and then digitizing the
data by uploading it through the BLOW mobile app or
(05:59):
a portal. During the protest, the blos have reported issues
with slow servers. They said that their connection the network
is really slow and sometimes it is taking them thirty
five minutes to upload one single form. You may call
it lack of training or the removal of the edit
option on the app significantly has increased the time and
(06:21):
stress of their task.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Great And so what is the current deadline for them
to complete all these formalities?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So the deadline for completing numeration and digitization is December four,
with the draft rule publication scheduled for December nine. Now,
they have already said that this deadline is unscientific. Now,
when I say so, election Commission. Recently, there was a
press conference by CEO Manojagarwal and Indal CEO in the
Niogi of State Chief Electoral Office and where they you know,
(06:51):
shared significant progress of this SIR process and cited example
of some of the blos who completed their the entire
task within fifteen days. So CO office have agreed that
there's excessive workload in some cases they have complaints of
slow server. But simultaneously they have also cited examples of
(07:14):
blos who have completed the same task in fifteen days.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And so given this condition, how have the CEO authorities
responded to these protests?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So basically no office have received some complaints from the
BLO and they have taken serious note of that. So
if we talk about the recent death that they claim
happened due to SIRE process, CEO office have asked district
magistrate or you know police to submit post motem reports
(07:44):
regarding the blos there to determine if they occurred on
duty due to SIAS press and the MONO CEO West
Bengal was always saying that it is taking time, but
they will definitely consider if it is found that that
they died due to work pressure or it happened on duty.
The CEO Office has held meetings with the telecom service
(08:06):
providers also to address the slow server complaints and connectivity
issue for the digitizing work, and has also stated that
additional personnel or centralized Wi Fi hubs are being provided
to assist blos. In some cases, a blos are complaining
that they are not well or despite being unwell, they
are expected to go to people's house and continue with
(08:29):
the SIR process. So recently cleared it that if ros
find any BLO not in a working condition, if somebody
is not well enough, they can definitely change the BLO
by keeping CO Office informed about it. You know. The
CEO Offices has also reassured punishment. The recently clarified that
(08:50):
no blow would be punished for unintentional human error only
if there is an intentional delay or if it is
formed as somebody is intentionally not trying to work or
you know, create an obstruction in the SIR process. In
that case the Election Commission may take any action. But
(09:10):
so far, since November four the process has started and
there has been no action against any bls.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Great and Sweet in this dispute is also playing out
alongside a separate disagreement over the EC's proposal to hire
new data entry operators. And since, as you mentioned earlier,
the BLO association leading the protests is backed by PNC,
So how has the state government responded to these protests?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So State government in specific Chief Minister Mantha Energy has
publicly criticized the ECI and since the very beginning she
has opposed the entire SIR process and in her Twitter
post and while addressing public she has linked the BLO
deaths to the unbearable work pressure from the SIR. She
(09:59):
also I wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner asking him
to hault the SII exercise and re assys the method
and timelines. Now the party has also raised concern about
a separate this agreement regarding the ECI's proposal to hire
new data entry operators, seeing it as something very unusual
(10:19):
or alarming move that they have been opposing. So they
have sort a meeting with ACI to discuss both the
BLO workload. A couple of laters have been sent by
Chief Minister man Tavernaldi opposing SIR and raising posts or
recruitment of you know, outsourcing data entry operators.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
And finally Sweety, what can be expected for them. Could
there be an extension of deadline? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
As far as relaxation of deadline is concerned, I don't
see there is any change in the immediate future because
you know, if we talk about the progress of the
work now, more than ninety nine percent umgation farm has
already been submitted and a good percentage of number has
been digitized. So whatever complaining they are getting from the BLO,
(11:05):
they are addressing those complains. But I don't see an
extension of the deadline as of now. Now. The immediate
next step that we see is like Election Commission may
meet the delegation of state ruling party because they have
a lot of revances. So we may expect a meeting
between the ruling party and the CEO office to discuss
(11:25):
their devances regarding the sir workload or we know tapping proposals.
The BLO Adhikar Ruksha Committee has however, warned that it
then demands like deadline extension or corrective steps are not met,
they will launch a continuous protests. The authorities are expected.
I don't see an extension of deadline as of now,
(11:46):
but the authorities are expected to follow through on providing
you know, support such as setting up high speed Wi
Fi herbs or investigating the debt to try and ease
the workload and stress or the blos. As we today,
you know that weel protest outside the ce office still continuing. However,
there was a good number of people who had sat
(12:08):
outside the CEO kbin you know, on the third floor
of the CEO office. So yesterday when the CEO agreed
to meet them briefly and they submitted their mamoranda. After
that they would do their protest from the third plow.
But there is good crowd outside the CEO office. As
we've got the broadcast today.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And next we shift our focus to chat this card
where Earlier this month, the Archaeological Survey of India inspected
an archaeological site in Sirpur, a village located in the
central part of the state. The ASI, along with the
Sirpurl Special Area Development Authority, conducted the survey to determine
whether the site could be considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.
(12:55):
For those who may not know, Sirpur, also known as
Sripura or Shripur, is a multi religious urban center that
was first formally recorded in English by Alexander Cunningham, a
British Army engineer who became the first Director General of
the ASI in eighteen seventy one. The place is often
described as an exquisite example of different religions co existing
(13:17):
in one location. But to understand whether Sirpur is eligible
for the UNESCO World Heritage status and what all is
being done in order to make the village more tourist friendly,
we are joined by the Indian Expresses Jebrakash s Naidu,
who reported on this for the paper. Jebrakash first tell
us a bit about Sirpour. What are some examples of
(13:38):
its multi religious character that we see there?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, So, excavations year have revealed remains dating back to
fifth century up till twelfth century. This remains they belong
to multiple religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. So one
of the most remarkable features about Sirpur it's his religious diversity.
Excavations year have revealed twenty two Shiva temples, five Vishnu temples,
(14:03):
ten Buddhist viharas and three Jan viharas. These are all
in one place. Viharas are monasteries. So this coexistence of
three religions. It's a powerful testimony of religious tolerance and
cross cultural interaction in early medieval India. So there is
this Lakshmna temple which is dedicated to Vishnu. It is
said to be one of the finest brick temples in India,
(14:24):
which was built back in the seventh century. Then there
is this Suran temple complex which is built on a
terrace and it has multiple ancient shrines. So back in
the seventh century, Shirpur was a town and it was
a dynastic capital of the Kshina Cosla region. This was
under the Panduanshi dynasty and then later under the Soumwamshi
kings in the ninth century. And not just a religious site,
(14:47):
it was also a commercial herb back then and Jeprakash.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Since the ASI wants this place to become a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, can you tell us what makes a
site eligible for that?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Yes, there are several requirements, but the core requirement forgetting
a nomination is the site must have outstanding universal value.
As I mentioned above, Sirpur is a multi religious urban
center and it's a fine example of religious diversity and tolerance.
Then its beautiful architecture, its authenticity as in no relocation
of monuments, then its originality as in the use of bricks,
(15:22):
stones and lime, and then the cultural landscape of Sirpur.
It is located along the Manadi River, which fits the
unisco's concept of combined works of nature and humankind, which
enhances the site's value.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
And if we talk about the tag of a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, what significance does that have? How can
we see it benefiting a place like Sirpur.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
So it is a long road ahead, but if we succeed,
if Sirpur succeeds in getting the UNISCO World Heritage Site tag,
then it will be the first Worldritage Site in Chattisgad
And because of this, Sirpulel will get a worldwide recognition
and this will boost tourism sector. The transport here will
get better. This will also in turn help to generate
(16:04):
some local employment and this way it will shape the
oral economy in the area.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
But if we talk about the current situation, what are
the issues that the tourists face when they visit Sirple
and how does the government plan on solving these issues?
Speaker 4 (16:20):
So at present, tourists have to navigate through scattered village
tracks and unstructured routes to access the clusters and monuments,
and which can take nearly up to three hours or
sometime even an entire day. So Chattisgar government plans to
cut this down by say one hour and they are
making pathways, primary pathways and secondary pathways. So this pathways
will also allow the use of small battery operated vehicles
(16:40):
to make it more comfortable for the.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Visitors and Jebrakash. Given that the ASI has been inspecting
the village, does it have any plans to make it
more suitable for nomination as a unescoor World Heritage Site.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
So for unified management, the ASI has asked for thirty
acres of state government land in and around the site
and once they get at this land they will be
able to do some more excavation activities. So this includes
land adjoining major monuments, approach corridors, proposed pathway routes, buffer
zones of excavated remains and open tracks needed for heritage
management infrastructure. So further this, identified mounds and areas of
(17:17):
arcological potential will be surveyed by SI for forurther excavations.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And what kind of developments can we expect to happen
going forward?
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Yes, so a lot of things are being planned. One
is a state of the art interpretation center with digital exhibits,
three D reconstructions and immersive storytelling modules to showcase the
reports Buddhist, Shiva and Royal history. Then there will be
trilingual signages for each monument. This will be in English,
Hindi and Chatti's Gudy. There will be QR based digital
information panels for self guided tours, thematic trail markers linking
(17:50):
the four clusters. Keeping the ecotourism in mind, there will
be eco friendly lawns, gardens and tree lined avenues will
be developed. They will also be promoting local platforms, crafts
and cultural performances every year, you know, for seven days
they will be celebrating the World Ritage Week. Then there
will be guided tour services, heritage walks, student engagement programs,
(18:12):
archaeological awareness camps and workshops. They will be having these
designated photo points, cultural interpretation nods and curated viewpoints you know,
to make it more to is friendly. They are planning
to have you know, rest areas, drinking water point, shelter,
sitting base. So this all things are being planned.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Right now, right, so Jeprakash, when will work on these
developments begin and what do we know about the timeline
of the US nomination.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yeah, so the work for the pathways has begun. A
joint inspection was also done by the state government and
the ASI. So there seems to be a consensus between
the state government and the central government that Sirple has
the potential for becoming a World Ritage site. But first
the government will have to make a detailed nomination doss
year and then invite an advisory mission from UNESCO to
come and visit Sirple. It's a long process, but a
(18:58):
roadmap has been made and the work has begun.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And in the end we talk about a controversial order
concerning the sixth of December, which marks the anniversary of
the Barbari Musjid demolition. On Saturday, Rajasthan's Director of Secondary
Education Sitaramchat circulated guidelines instructing schools to hold a series
of educational and cultural activities on the sixth of this
(19:26):
month to celebrate Shoridivas. The direction came from Education and
Panchaiti Raj Minister modhn de Lawar. The Indian Express's sparal.
Culturest reported that the order asked schools to plan activities
meant to promote patriotism, nationalism, bravery, cultural pride and national
unity among students and staff. However, the state's Education department
(19:49):
pulled the order just twelve hours after it was issued.
In a statement, the lawer said that with the exams
scheduled on fifth and sixth December, it wouldn't be possible
for schools to conduct additional events and therefore the surely
the vast celebrations would be postponed. Paroul, however, does point
out that the minister defended the intent behind celebrating the day.
(20:10):
He said that Lord Ram represents the ideals of Indian
culture and that the Raman Their movement reflects cultural pride.
According to him, learning about the Ram Juan Bumi movement
would encourage students and instill a sense of patriotism and
national unity. As part of the proposed celebrations, schools were
asked to conduct speech and essay competitions on Indian culture
(20:32):
and the Ram Temple movement, painting and poster making activities,
patriotic song presentations, folk dance performances, and short plays based
on mythological episodes. Exhibitions displaying photographs, articles and artifacts related
to Ram Juan Bumi movement were also proposed. The Circular
further instructed schools to organize group Psurinamaskar sessions, yoga practice
(20:55):
and a special prayer assembly beginning with hymns and arti
dedicated to Lord Ram. It noted that Shariyatra's and awareness
marches could be held within school premises and suggested inviting
military personnel, social workers and history enthusiasts to interact with students.
Now Modern Delaver has issued several controversial statements and directives
(21:16):
since taking office as Education Minister. Among them was his
order making one day Mathuram compulsory in all schools, including motherssas,
which drew criticism from minority groups who called it an imposition.
He has also repeatedly called Mughal ruler Ukber a tyrant
and accused the previous Congress government of glorifying him. You
(21:38):
were listening to Three Things by the Indian Express. Today's
episode was edited and mixed by Surish Babar and produced
by Ichasharma, Shashank Haargev and Ninahari Khan Nanda. If you
like the show, then do subscribe to us wherever you
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(22:00):
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at podcasts at Indianexpress dot com
In this episode, we talk about the efforts to secure
UNESCO World Heritage status for an archaeological site in Chattazhkar.
We also discuss a recent government order in Rajasthan that
asked schools to celebrate December sixth, the anniversary of the
Barbari Mustered demolition as sure ad of us. But we
begin today in Kolkata, which is witnessing a protest by
(00:22):
hundreds of booth level officers. Hi I am Ahrikan Nanda
and you are listening to three things in an Express
News show. Across several states, the Election Commission's special intensive
revision of electoral rules is now facing growing strain on
(00:44):
the ground. Over the past week, this workload has become
a major flashpoint. States have reported stress related debts among
booth level officers, and in West Bengal, where the division
is underway, alongside nine other states and three Union territories,
hundreds of blos protested outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office,
(01:05):
saying the Election Commission's expectations are impossible to meet within
the unrealistic deadlines.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Asaiare is a process which has been initiated by Election
Commissioner India.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
This is the intet expresses Sweeti Kumari, who reported on
this for the paper.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To basically unify the electoral roles by removing duplicate, deceased
and shifted voters. Shifted voters as in those who have
changed their addresses. It is especially being done ahead of
upcoming elections. Now blos are at the heart of this
process because they are the election commissions I would say
(01:44):
foot soldiers on ground.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Now.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Who are these blos. They are typically local government or
school employees like teachers, anganwadi workers and they have been
assigned to specific polling booth areas. Now their duties require
them to interact directly with every voter, making them the
primary link between the Election Commission of India and citizen
(02:09):
for this entire sire process.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Now, the demonstration led by the BLO Rights Protection Association
escalated after a meeting with senior election officials failed to
address their concerns. So to break down what the blos
are demanding and how the CEO's office is responding, Mike
League Chasharma speaks to Sweetee in this segment.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Sweety, could you start by telling us what these blos
are alleging and what has prompted them to carry out
these protests.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
So the blos are already state government employees. They are teachers,
they have their job. They are already you attending schools.
So when we are talking about the specific protest outside
the CEO office, this BLO, especially under the banner of
the BLO Adrika Rukshia Committee organized which is backed by GMC,
(03:02):
have been protesting outside the CEO OFICE primarily accusing that
the workload is completely inhuman and they have been in
excessive stress and the excessive workload ever since the shire
process started. And also the BLOS who are protesting outside
(03:22):
the CEO of his claims that the deadline given by
Election Commission of India to complete the task is unrealistic
and unscientific. Now the protests were intensified following reports of
you know, multiple blos date. We have been reading and
reporting that there have been debts where the families or
(03:42):
you know, even in few cases some of the disease
have also mentioned a higher process or excessive workload as
one of the reasons of them committing suicide. And we
spoke to some of the bl loads they before yesterdayday.
They said that the stress from the sa IR work
was one of the major contributing factor that they're sitting
(04:04):
on protest outside the CEO office and demanding that there
should be an extension of the deadlines. And uh, you know,
they basically wanted to see Election Commission of India to
show some empathy after few deaths that they claim that
were a fallout excessive work the BSIR process and threety.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
For those who may not know already what specific tasks
of blos being asked to complete, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
They have been asked to complete the submission of enumeration
form within a month, like from November fourth it started
and the deadline is the Vemberfore, sopecially, if you talk about,
the specific task that the blos have been given is
basically the door to door enumeration. So under this the
blos are expected to physically visit every household to distribute
(04:55):
partially or you know blank form which has a QR
code and these enumeration forms are given to electorals in
person and then those forms are collected from the door itself. Also,
their role includes a highly demanding task where blows are
basically expected to physically search the old intensive revision role
(05:19):
like in two thousand and two and two thousand three
to trace electorals or their adult relative to establish their
you know, relations to previous electoral role and record that
the old serial number are on the new form or no.
If an electoral misses out on these important information, it
(05:39):
is the responsibility of the BLOW that they should fill
up the mandatory required information by getting in touch with
the electoral Now. After this, their role also involves taking
those thousands of completed enumeration forms and then digitizing the
data by uploading it through the BLOW mobile app or
(05:59):
a portal. During the protest, the blos have reported issues
with slow servers. They said that their connection the network
is really slow and sometimes it is taking them thirty
five minutes to upload one single form. You may call
it lack of training or the removal of the edit
option on the app significantly has increased the time and
(06:21):
stress of their task.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Great And so what is the current deadline for them
to complete all these formalities?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So the deadline for completing numeration and digitization is December four,
with the draft rule publication scheduled for December nine. Now,
they have already said that this deadline is unscientific. Now,
when I say so, election Commission. Recently, there was a
press conference by CEO Manojagarwal and Indal CEO in the
Niogi of State Chief Electoral Office and where they you know,
(06:51):
shared significant progress of this SIR process and cited example
of some of the blos who completed their the entire
task within fifteen days. So CO office have agreed that
there's excessive workload in some cases they have complaints of
slow server. But simultaneously they have also cited examples of
(07:14):
blos who have completed the same task in fifteen days.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And so given this condition, how have the CEO authorities
responded to these protests?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
So basically no office have received some complaints from the
BLO and they have taken serious note of that. So
if we talk about the recent death that they claim
happened due to SIRE process, CEO office have asked district
magistrate or you know police to submit post motem reports
(07:44):
regarding the blos there to determine if they occurred on
duty due to SIAS press and the MONO CEO West
Bengal was always saying that it is taking time, but
they will definitely consider if it is found that that
they died due to work pressure or it happened on duty.
The CEO Office has held meetings with the telecom service
(08:06):
providers also to address the slow server complaints and connectivity
issue for the digitizing work, and has also stated that
additional personnel or centralized Wi Fi hubs are being provided
to assist blos. In some cases, a blos are complaining
that they are not well or despite being unwell, they
are expected to go to people's house and continue with
(08:29):
the SIR process. So recently cleared it that if ros
find any BLO not in a working condition, if somebody
is not well enough, they can definitely change the BLO
by keeping CO Office informed about it. You know. The
CEO Offices has also reassured punishment. The recently clarified that
(08:50):
no blow would be punished for unintentional human error only
if there is an intentional delay or if it is
formed as somebody is intentionally not trying to work or
you know, create an obstruction in the SIR process. In
that case the Election Commission may take any action. But
(09:10):
so far, since November four the process has started and
there has been no action against any bls.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Great and Sweet in this dispute is also playing out
alongside a separate disagreement over the EC's proposal to hire
new data entry operators. And since, as you mentioned earlier,
the BLO association leading the protests is backed by PNC,
So how has the state government responded to these protests?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So State government in specific Chief Minister Mantha Energy has
publicly criticized the ECI and since the very beginning she
has opposed the entire SIR process and in her Twitter
post and while addressing public she has linked the BLO
deaths to the unbearable work pressure from the SIR. She
(09:59):
also I wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner asking him
to hault the SII exercise and re assys the method
and timelines. Now the party has also raised concern about
a separate this agreement regarding the ECI's proposal to hire
new data entry operators, seeing it as something very unusual
(10:19):
or alarming move that they have been opposing. So they
have sort a meeting with ACI to discuss both the
BLO workload. A couple of laters have been sent by
Chief Minister man Tavernaldi opposing SIR and raising posts or
recruitment of you know, outsourcing data entry operators.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
And finally Sweety, what can be expected for them. Could
there be an extension of deadline? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
As far as relaxation of deadline is concerned, I don't
see there is any change in the immediate future because
you know, if we talk about the progress of the
work now, more than ninety nine percent umgation farm has
already been submitted and a good percentage of number has
been digitized. So whatever complaining they are getting from the BLO,
(11:05):
they are addressing those complains. But I don't see an
extension of the deadline as of now. Now. The immediate
next step that we see is like Election Commission may
meet the delegation of state ruling party because they have
a lot of revances. So we may expect a meeting
between the ruling party and the CEO office to discuss
(11:25):
their devances regarding the sir workload or we know tapping proposals.
The BLO Adhikar Ruksha Committee has however, warned that it
then demands like deadline extension or corrective steps are not met,
they will launch a continuous protests. The authorities are expected.
I don't see an extension of deadline as of now,
(11:46):
but the authorities are expected to follow through on providing
you know, support such as setting up high speed Wi
Fi herbs or investigating the debt to try and ease
the workload and stress or the blos. As we today,
you know that weel protest outside the ce office still continuing. However,
there was a good number of people who had sat
(12:08):
outside the CEO kbin you know, on the third floor
of the CEO office. So yesterday when the CEO agreed
to meet them briefly and they submitted their mamoranda. After
that they would do their protest from the third plow.
But there is good crowd outside the CEO office. As
we've got the broadcast today.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And next we shift our focus to chat this card
where Earlier this month, the Archaeological Survey of India inspected
an archaeological site in Sirpur, a village located in the
central part of the state. The ASI, along with the
Sirpurl Special Area Development Authority, conducted the survey to determine
whether the site could be considered for UNESCO World Heritage status.
(12:55):
For those who may not know, Sirpur, also known as
Sripura or Shripur, is a multi religious urban center that
was first formally recorded in English by Alexander Cunningham, a
British Army engineer who became the first Director General of
the ASI in eighteen seventy one. The place is often
described as an exquisite example of different religions co existing
(13:17):
in one location. But to understand whether Sirpur is eligible
for the UNESCO World Heritage status and what all is
being done in order to make the village more tourist friendly,
we are joined by the Indian Expresses Jebrakash s Naidu,
who reported on this for the paper. Jebrakash first tell
us a bit about Sirpour. What are some examples of
(13:38):
its multi religious character that we see there?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, So, excavations year have revealed remains dating back to
fifth century up till twelfth century. This remains they belong
to multiple religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. So one
of the most remarkable features about Sirpur it's his religious diversity.
Excavations year have revealed twenty two Shiva temples, five Vishnu temples,
(14:03):
ten Buddhist viharas and three Jan viharas. These are all
in one place. Viharas are monasteries. So this coexistence of
three religions. It's a powerful testimony of religious tolerance and
cross cultural interaction in early medieval India. So there is
this Lakshmna temple which is dedicated to Vishnu. It is
said to be one of the finest brick temples in India,
(14:24):
which was built back in the seventh century. Then there
is this Suran temple complex which is built on a
terrace and it has multiple ancient shrines. So back in
the seventh century, Shirpur was a town and it was
a dynastic capital of the Kshina Cosla region. This was
under the Panduanshi dynasty and then later under the Soumwamshi
kings in the ninth century. And not just a religious site,
(14:47):
it was also a commercial herb back then and Jeprakash.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Since the ASI wants this place to become a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, can you tell us what makes a
site eligible for that?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Yes, there are several requirements, but the core requirement forgetting
a nomination is the site must have outstanding universal value.
As I mentioned above, Sirpur is a multi religious urban
center and it's a fine example of religious diversity and tolerance.
Then its beautiful architecture, its authenticity as in no relocation
of monuments, then its originality as in the use of bricks,
(15:22):
stones and lime, and then the cultural landscape of Sirpur.
It is located along the Manadi River, which fits the
unisco's concept of combined works of nature and humankind, which
enhances the site's value.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
And if we talk about the tag of a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, what significance does that have? How can
we see it benefiting a place like Sirpur.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
So it is a long road ahead, but if we succeed,
if Sirpur succeeds in getting the UNISCO World Heritage Site tag,
then it will be the first Worldritage Site in Chattisgad
And because of this, Sirpulel will get a worldwide recognition
and this will boost tourism sector. The transport here will
get better. This will also in turn help to generate
(16:04):
some local employment and this way it will shape the
oral economy in the area.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
But if we talk about the current situation, what are
the issues that the tourists face when they visit Sirple
and how does the government plan on solving these issues?
Speaker 4 (16:20):
So at present, tourists have to navigate through scattered village
tracks and unstructured routes to access the clusters and monuments,
and which can take nearly up to three hours or
sometime even an entire day. So Chattisgar government plans to
cut this down by say one hour and they are
making pathways, primary pathways and secondary pathways. So this pathways
will also allow the use of small battery operated vehicles
(16:40):
to make it more comfortable for the.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Visitors and Jebrakash. Given that the ASI has been inspecting
the village, does it have any plans to make it
more suitable for nomination as a unescoor World Heritage Site.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
So for unified management, the ASI has asked for thirty
acres of state government land in and around the site
and once they get at this land they will be
able to do some more excavation activities. So this includes
land adjoining major monuments, approach corridors, proposed pathway routes, buffer
zones of excavated remains and open tracks needed for heritage
management infrastructure. So further this, identified mounds and areas of
(17:17):
arcological potential will be surveyed by SI for forurther excavations.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And what kind of developments can we expect to happen
going forward?
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Yes, so a lot of things are being planned. One
is a state of the art interpretation center with digital exhibits,
three D reconstructions and immersive storytelling modules to showcase the
reports Buddhist, Shiva and Royal history. Then there will be
trilingual signages for each monument. This will be in English,
Hindi and Chatti's Gudy. There will be QR based digital
information panels for self guided tours, thematic trail markers linking
(17:50):
the four clusters. Keeping the ecotourism in mind, there will
be eco friendly lawns, gardens and tree lined avenues will
be developed. They will also be promoting local platforms, crafts
and cultural performances every year, you know, for seven days
they will be celebrating the World Ritage Week. Then there
will be guided tour services, heritage walks, student engagement programs,
(18:12):
archaeological awareness camps and workshops. They will be having these
designated photo points, cultural interpretation nods and curated viewpoints you know,
to make it more to is friendly. They are planning
to have you know, rest areas, drinking water point, shelter,
sitting base. So this all things are being planned.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Right now, right, so Jeprakash, when will work on these
developments begin and what do we know about the timeline
of the US nomination.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yeah, so the work for the pathways has begun. A
joint inspection was also done by the state government and
the ASI. So there seems to be a consensus between
the state government and the central government that Sirple has
the potential for becoming a World Ritage site. But first
the government will have to make a detailed nomination doss
year and then invite an advisory mission from UNESCO to
come and visit Sirple. It's a long process, but a
(18:58):
roadmap has been made and the work has begun.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And in the end we talk about a controversial order
concerning the sixth of December, which marks the anniversary of
the Barbari Musjid demolition. On Saturday, Rajasthan's Director of Secondary
Education Sitaramchat circulated guidelines instructing schools to hold a series
of educational and cultural activities on the sixth of this
(19:26):
month to celebrate Shoridivas. The direction came from Education and
Panchaiti Raj Minister modhn de Lawar. The Indian Express's sparal.
Culturest reported that the order asked schools to plan activities
meant to promote patriotism, nationalism, bravery, cultural pride and national
unity among students and staff. However, the state's Education department
(19:49):
pulled the order just twelve hours after it was issued.
In a statement, the lawer said that with the exams
scheduled on fifth and sixth December, it wouldn't be possible
for schools to conduct additional events and therefore the surely
the vast celebrations would be postponed. Paroul, however, does point
out that the minister defended the intent behind celebrating the day.
(20:10):
He said that Lord Ram represents the ideals of Indian
culture and that the Raman Their movement reflects cultural pride.
According to him, learning about the Ram Juan Bumi movement
would encourage students and instill a sense of patriotism and
national unity. As part of the proposed celebrations, schools were
asked to conduct speech and essay competitions on Indian culture
(20:32):
and the Ram Temple movement, painting and poster making activities,
patriotic song presentations, folk dance performances, and short plays based
on mythological episodes. Exhibitions displaying photographs, articles and artifacts related
to Ram Juan Bumi movement were also proposed. The Circular
further instructed schools to organize group Psurinamaskar sessions, yoga practice
(20:55):
and a special prayer assembly beginning with hymns and arti
dedicated to Lord Ram. It noted that Shariyatra's and awareness
marches could be held within school premises and suggested inviting
military personnel, social workers and history enthusiasts to interact with students.
Now Modern Delaver has issued several controversial statements and directives
(21:16):
since taking office as Education Minister. Among them was his
order making one day Mathuram compulsory in all schools, including motherssas,
which drew criticism from minority groups who called it an imposition.
He has also repeatedly called Mughal ruler Ukber a tyrant
and accused the previous Congress government of glorifying him. You
(21:38):
were listening to Three Things by the Indian Express. Today's
episode was edited and mixed by Surish Babar and produced
by Ichasharma, Shashank Haargev and Ninahari Khan Nanda. If you
like the show, then do subscribe to us wherever you
get your podcasts. You can also recommend the show to
someone you think we'll like it, share it with a
friend or someone in your family. It's the best way
(22:00):
for people to get to know about us. You can
also tweet us at Express podcast and write to us
at podcasts at Indianexpress dot com
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