People will have to visit the camps to be registered as voters in accordance with the EC's new methodology, which is completely different from the previous procedure for preparing the electoral rolls by sending staffs to visit door to door.

The task for preparing the voter list however will not begin across the country at a time. Only 12,000 units, each comprising four officials, will do the massive task staying at the camps in phases. Initially, the task will be done in some metropolitan cities.

"We will not visit door to door as it is not possible to do so carrying the equipment. If we visit door to door, the equipment will have to be kept on switching on and off that will cost time," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters yesterday.

"We will provide the voters with national identity cards as incentive," he said.

In a bid to have people visit the camps to be listed as voters, the provisions for showing the national identity cards will be mandatory to have all sorts of government facilities that include getting VGF and relief cards, opening bank account and making passport.

"We believe people will respond to the new method and they will come to the camps to be listed as voters," he said.

Huda disclosed the EC's decisions regarding the preparation of the voter list and national identity cards in the afternoon after returning from a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed at his office.

Earlier in the morning, the EC at a meeting discussed the preparation of the voter list and listened from its officials about the experiences regarding the preparation of the voter list in the past, sources said.

Asked about the time required to complete the task, the CEC said, "We did not calculate the time required to complete the task. But we are determined to complete the task within the 18-month timeframe," said Huda who on April 5 said it would require 12 months to complete the field level task.

Keeping consistency with the CEC's timeframe, the chief adviser on April 12 in an address to the nation announced that the ninth parliamentary election would be held before the end of 2008.

The CEC yesterday said they are determined to complete the task within the timeframe.

"Have you [journalists] watched Spanish bull fight? The Election Commission is in a bullfight and we are fighting. We may be scarred if we loose the fight. So, we have to win it," said Huda, who was appointed as the CEC following the resignation of controversial CEC Justice Aziz.

The number of units has been increased from 8,000 to 12, 000 to expedite the task, the CEC said, adding, "We are proceeding with the 18-month timeframe. A pilot project will start within next 10 to 12 days in an urban and an remote area."

"It's a massive task. Ten crore forms will have to be printed to collect particulars about the voters," the CEC added.

The EC will soon start the process of procuring the equipment that includes 12,000 web-cams, and the same number of digital cameras, laptops and printers.

"We will have the first instalment of the required equipment in July and the rest will reach here by September," the CEC said.

Asked about the discussion with the chief adviser, he said the only agenda was to find out the method of preparing the voter list with photographs. "The chief adviser assured us of providing all sorts of assistance to prepare the voter list."

Replying to a query the CEC said they did not discuss the issue of lifting the embargo on indoor politics.

At a meeting with the law adviser on April 4, the CEC had asked the government to lift the embargo on indoor politics allowing the EC to hold dialogue with the political parties on electoral reforms.

Talking to reporters Election Commissioner Sahul Hossain, who also met the chief adviser along with the CEC, said the public procurement rules would be relaxed as much as possible to complete the procurement.

Asked whether the EC's decision to prepare the voter list by setting up camps contradicts the existing electoral rules that say the voter list will be prepared by visiting door to door, the election commissioner said the law will be amended before starting the filed level task.

Asked how people will be encouraged to register his or her name as voter by visiting the camps, as they are accustomed to be voters staying at homes, the CEC said massive campaign will be launched by engaging different NGOs and media to encourage people.

When his attention was drawn to the EC's bitter experience regarding updating the voter list by staying at different offices in last year, the CEC said the task for updating the voter list and preparing the voter list with photographs is totally different.

At all levels in the preparation of the voter list, the army will be involved but they will stay at upazila headquarters, he said.

"The voter list with photographs will be prepared under the direct supervision by the Election Commission," Huda said.

Under the full digital system, voters' photographs, particulars, and fingerprints will be in the voter list, he said. "Some 20 to 25 minutes will be required to complete the process of registering a person as a voter and preparing his national identity cards."