Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar has urged the Returning Officer of Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency to take necessary measures to ensure safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) kept in the strong rooms, where the machines would be stored until counting day.
In a memorandum submitted to the District Election Officer and Collector, C. Palani, on Friday, Mr. Ravikumar said that a representative assigned by him to monitor the strong rooms had informed him about the interruption in the CCTV coverage of the facility. The CCTVs suddenly stopped functioning at 9.28 a.m. on Friday and resumed recording at 9.58 a.m., after repair.
“The senior officials of the district administration visited the counting centre to ensure voltage was maintained at the present level. Though the authorities explained that the interruption was due to a fuse in the UPS and measures have been taken to prevent such incidents, this occurrence is unprecedented during elections. According to reports, similar incidents have been reported in other constituencies in Tamil Nadu, raising concerns,” Mr. Ravikumar said.
The Election Commission of India has explicitly stated that uninterrupted power supply must be ensured at strong room locations throughout the EVM storage period. The Chief Electoral Officer is urged to address the Chairman of the Electricity Board separately on this matter. Contingency arrangements with standby generators should be in place to ensure uninterrupted power supply, he said.
Hence, the Returning Officer should follow the directive of the EC and take all necessary measures to safeguard the EVMs kept in the strong rooms.
