Vijayawada: The AP Government is prepared and taken precautions to conduct the local body elections in the state as per the schedule, said Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney. She informed the State Election Commissioner in a three pages letter and urged the SEC to rethink to conduct the elections as usual, which was issued schedule in the earlier. The decision of the SEC to postpone the local body elections for six weeks from Sunday onwards, in the pretext of Covid-19 spread in the country. She explained in her letter that the Covid-19’s impact is not the state it is under control.

The Chief Secretary in her letter informed that the State Government has taken all precautionary measures to control the Covid-19 in the state. The Health Department officials, staff and the village volunteers are taking steps to give the treatment, which were suspected as Covid-19 patients. Only one Covid-19 case was detected in Nellore, who is a returnee from Italy, he was also well recovered none of other cases of Covid-19 was not recorded. The Government established two labs to test Covid-19 samples, one at Tirupati and another at Vijayawada, she said in her letter. The Government also started isolation centres at Tirupati, Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada, Rajamundry and Vishakhapatnam, she added.

The Government made arrangements for the ZPTC, MPTC and Municipal elections which were completed the nomination process. The printing of ballot papers are also over, ballot boxes also arranged. The polling personnels also prepared to conduct the polling process.