"Everyone excepting God and the devil may make mistakes. To err is human," the CEC told reporters after a surprise visit to different sections of the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat and exchange of pleasantries with the staffs.

He also referred to media reports on the wastage of a huge amount of public money in preparing the fresh voter list ignoring the High Court directives to the EC for revising the existing voter list. But he declined to make any comments on whether the money has gone down the drains or not.

The CEC, who always avoided journalists and also blasted the media at a function in April, yesterday said he would talk to the media from now on. "My door is always open to you," he told reporters, adding, "I want to talk to you. I have also some agony."

Justice Aziz went on, "But you always ask whether I will resign. It really seems to me it is not a question at all."

"I am not biased to anybody...I am a neutral man. My aim is to hold a free and fair election," Justice Aziz said after he went round different sections of the EC for the first time since taking over as the CEC on May 23 last year.

The CEC along with two Election Commissioners--Justice Mahfuzur Rahman and SM Zakaria -- finally came to the EC public relations officer's room where journalists usually gather to collect information.

He exchanged pleasantries with journalists waiting there and listened to allegations of not providing information to the media. He apparently expressed his ignorance about such a situation at the EC Secretariat.

"I was not aware of this. But now I am assuring that this situation will not continue. You (reporters) will get all information," Aziz said.

The CEC also asked the secretary-in-charge of the EC Secretariat to allocate a room for journalists so that they can do their duties easily.

Meanwhile, enumerators and supervisors, who worked for the fresh voter list since January, have expressed their dissatisfaction over the EC Secretariat not paying their remuneration.

"We have worked for five months but we have not received our remuneration," Matiur Rahman, a teacher at Sahabuddin Memorial School at Agargaon in the capital , told reporters yesterday.

Matiur, who worked as a supervisor, said they would initiate legal action if they are not paid for their work.

Asadul Alam, a teacher at the same school who worked as an enumerator, said they are contacting others who were involved in the process. "We plan to launch an agitation for realising our dues."

District and upazila election officers are facing difficulties as the EC Secretariat stopped making such payments after the May 23 Supreme Court verdict upholding the High Court directives for revising the existing voter list.