Paid Holiday for Workers, Liquor Shops Closed
The district administration in Gautam Buddh Nagar has declared a paid holiday for factory workers on Friday, April 26th, to enable them to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This decision comes in response to concerns that many workers would be unable to vote due to work commitments.
"There has been feedback that some workers are not able to go to vote because they would be stuck at work, hence this decision has been taken," said District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma.
The district administration is also encouraging residents to vote in large numbers. They are working with Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Apartment Owners' Associations (AOAs) to motivate residents and will commend and felicitate those with improved voter turnouts.
"We will also hand out commendation certificates to RWAs and AOAs where the voter turnout shows improvement this time," Verma said.
Meanwhile, liquor shops in Noida and Greater Noida have been closed for 48 hours since Wednesday evening, April 24th, in accordance with election regulations. The order will be strictly enforced, and violators will face legal action.
"As per rules, liquor outlets should close down 48 hours ahead of the election. Here, all authorised liquor outlets will remain closed from 6 pm on Wednesday [April 24] to 6 pm, or end of voting time, on Friday [April 26]," said District Excise Officer Subodh Kumar Srivastava.
Excise officials are closely monitoring the situation and will take swift action against any illegal liquor sales during this period.
Gautam Buddh Nagar, one of Uttar Pradesh's Lok Sabha constituencies, encompasses Noida, Dadri, Jewar, Sikandrabad, and Khurja. This general seat holds significance in the political landscape and has been a battleground for major political parties in the past.