Initially the EC will start training programme for district election officers across the country from today and the election officers will train about three lakh enumerators and supervisors, who are being recruited for the task of collecting particulars of prospective voters and bringing them to the voter registration centres.

"We want to avert mistakes occurred in simultaneously preparing the voter list with photographs and national identity cards under a pilot project in Sreepur municipality. So, we planned to train the field level staffs in such a way that will make process fool-proof," Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told reporters at his office yesterday.

In Sreepur pilot project, which was completed in June, the field level enumerators failed to ensure correctness of the particulars of the prospective voters.

According to the EC's plan, the district election officers will arrange three-day long training programme for the field level manpower at district and upazila levels. Earlier the enumerators were given a day's training, as the previous procedure for preparing the voter list was very simple.

Directed by the EC, the district election officers have already asked assistant registration officers to start the process for recruiting the enumerators and supervisors in their respective areas for preparing the voter list, sources said.

"This time, the efficiency of the enumerators will be ensured during their appointment as the correctness of the particulars of prospective voters largely depends on their abilities," Sohul Hussain said.

The enumerators will collect particulars of voters by visiting door-to-door and will ask the prospective voters to visit voter registration centres to have their photographs and fingerprints taken.

The EC has yet to specify the remuneration of the enumerators and supervisors who will discharge the important tasks.

Officials in the EC Secretariat, however, said an enumerator, who will collect particulars of highest 300 prospective voters, will have only six taka per voters, the same amount of money given for preparing the voter list in 2000.

This time, one enumerator will get his remuneration only after completing his entire tasks, which include collection of particulars and bringing the prospective voters to voter registration centres.

Talking to The Daily Star, several district election officers said it will be difficult to get a large number of efficient manpower.

Conventionally schoolteachers were always recruited for the task.

"This time, the enumerators will have to write prospective voter's name both in Bangla and English in the prescribed forms. So, quality of enumerators will have to be ensured," Election Commissioner Sohul said.

He said the field level task for preparing the voter list with photographs would formally begin in Rajshahi and Khulna city corporations and eight other municipality areas in next week.

Asked whether the flood will affect the task for completion of voter listing in time as there is 18 months time as per the election roadmap, the election commissioner said the EC kept two months 'extra time' in the roadmap to make up for any possible loss of time due to natural disaster.