CA Fakhruddin Ahmed, who was scheduled to formally inaugurate the beginning of the task in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) area, changed his mind on Wednesday, as 'his government's main priority is now to tackle the prevailing flood situation.'

On receiving the information, the EC at an emergency meeting on Wednesday afternoon discussed the issue, but could not fix a new date for the inaugural programme, as it did not receive any time from the office of the CA, meeting sources said.

The EC however decided to send an election commissioner to the RCC area on Saturday to boost up the field level staffs to keep continuing the preliminary tasks as the main election office has planned to begin the task in such an enthusiastic atmosphere that will help prepare the electoral rolls smoothly across the country, as per its roadmap.

Before announcing the roadmap, the chief election commissioner on June 30 announced that the task would begin in RCC area in July. But in the roadmap announced on July 15, the EC promised to begin the field level task from August and complete the job in all parts of the country in October next year and hold the stalled parliamentary election in December 2008.

Asked whether the EC will have to face difficulties in implementing its roadmap on time if the beginning of the field level task is delayed due to the flood, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain yesterday said the EC has announced the roadmap keeping in view floods, Ramadan and Eid vacations.

"So, floods will not hamper the preparation of the voter list as we are not going to any flood affected areas to do the job," he said adding, "If the beginning of the task is delayed for one or two days, it will not be a problem."

The election commissioner, who will visit the RCC area on next Saturday, said on the basis of the forecast they hope the flood situation will improve within next two or three days. "If it is so, we hope the inaugural ceremony will be held before August 10," Sakhawat said.

The central election office and local administration has completed all the preparations for the inaugural ceremony and carrying on the massive task from Rajshahi and at another city corporation and eight other municipalities in this month following the inauguration.

The office of the CA on Wednesday morning sent a detailed schedule to the EC Secretariat about his visit to the RCC area.

But the head of the interim government flipped his mind after visiting the flood-affected areas in Kurigram in the morning the same day.

"Flood affected his [CA] mind. We have been informed of it on Wednesday afternoon," Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told reporters at his office yesterday.

"The entire civil administration and Bangladesh Army are busy with tackling the flood situation which is the first priority of the head of the government," he said.

In the RCC area, the EC has unofficially started the field level task for simultaneously preparing a fresh voter list with photographs and national identity cards although a new law for it has yet to be made. The local election office on July 29 started sending its enumerators on door-to-door visits in the city corporation area to collect particulars of prospective voters as per the prescribed forms for preparing the voter list.

The EC had also planned to start the field level task for voter listing in Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and eight other municipalities by the middle of August. The local election offices, along with the army officials, are making preparation.

But Election Commissioner Sakhawat yesterday said the field level task in KCC and eight municipalities is likely to begin on August 20 or 21.