Mysore/Mysuru: At a meeting with the representatives of political parties yesterday, DC Dr. K.V. Rajendra said that they have to take valid permission though the code of conduct has yet to come into effect for holding bike rallies.

Permission is also mandatory for political party meetings even before the poll code comes into effect, he added. “Compulsory permission has to be taken for putting up pandals and sound systems at the meetings convened by political parties. If there are any violations, stringent action will be taken under the Karnataka Police Act and Motor Vehicles Act,” the DC said.

Warning parties if they distribute gifts to lure voters, the DC said that the administration, flying squads, static surveillance teams, mobile squads and other teams like the GST will keep a close watch. Instructions have already been passed to all the banks and financial institutions to report any suspicious transactions, including large withdrawals of cash, large cash transfers, transfers of large sums to a single account and transfers of funds to multiple accounts. Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, ZP CEO K.M. Gayathri and other officers were present.

Eliminate human-animal conflict during election season

In the wake of the high level of human-animal conflict in Mysuru including tiger, leopard and elephant attacks, DC Dr. K.V. Rajendra, who is the District Election Officer has passed on instructions to his staff to take measures to eliminate human-animal conflict during the election season.

At an interaction yesterday with Sector Officers, Police, Excise, Expenditure Officers, Flying Surveillance Teams, Flying Squads and others, the DC asked the officers to address the issues arising in forest fringes where the instances of attacks on humans by wild animals is on the rise.

The border areas of the forests are vulnerable and concrete measures have to be taken by the Forest and Revenue Departments to resolve the problem at the earliest, the DC added.