A medical board, especially set up by the Hailakandi district administration, has declared 9 of the 10 applicants fit who sought exemption from election duty on health grounds for the rural polls scheduled next month here, a top official said on November 19.

The board has set up by Hailakandi Deputy Commissioner Adil Khan, who is also the District Election Officer (DEO). Khan said the special medical board is headed by Joint Director, Health Services, Dr Abed Rasul Mazumder and comprises doctors and specialists for health examination of all government employees who sought exemption from duty due to illness.

Panchayat polls in Hailakandi is scheduled on December 9 in the second phase along with nine other districts of Assam. "Employees claiming sickness are being examined by a board which is a continuous process. As far as election duty is concerned, the medical board constituted for the purpose will decide whether an employee is fit for election duty or not," Khan said.

All officials who were declared fit by the medical board would be deployed as poll personnel during the panchayat election but, as of now, no other departmental action would be initiated against them, he said. Action would, however, be taken if the employees fail to turn up, even after being declared physically fit by the medical board, he added. "Setting up of medical board will help to put brakes on the sick leave applications spree, which I was receiving from unwilling employees, wanting to skip election duty," he said.