CEO reviews poll preparedness

Nodal officers told to ensure safety of EVMs, VVPATs

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 25

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Devesh Kumar on Monday directed the District Election Officers, (DEOs), Superintendent of Police (SPs), nodal officers of excise and income tax and nodal police officers to ensure safety and security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).

These machines are required to be kept in strongrooms having proper security, single entry point, fire extinguishers and CCTV cameras, he said.

Reviewing the preparedness of Lok Sabha polls, the CEO issued these directions on the safety and security of EVMs and VVPATs, which are required to be kept in well-guarded strongrooms.

He said the first randomisation of EVMs and VVPATs would be carried out on March 28, 2019, by DEOs as per the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The arrangement of shifting and storage of EVMS and VVPATS after first randomisation are required to be made by all Assistant Returning Officers (AROs).

He said as per the directions of the ECI, EVMs and VVPATs have to be divided into four categories. These are polled EVMs and VVPATs, defective polled EVMs and VVPATs, defective un-polled and un-polled EVMs and VVPATs.

Devesh Kumar said: “The first two shall be stored separately in strongrooms after following proper protocol and the last two shall not be in the vicinity of AC strongrooms treasuring the first two categories.”

He said DEOs were directed for real-time tracking and monitoring the end-to-end movement of reserve EVMs and VVPATs, for which all sector officers and sectoral magistrates would be equipped with GPS tracking. The EVM control room would be set up at DEO and CEO-level with GPS tracking system, he said.

He said directions were issued to districts to submit 100 per cent physical verification certificate of all polling stations.

The CEO said the police authorities and executive magistrates have been directed to take speedy action against history-sheeters, declared absconders, criminal and anti-social elements. District authorities were asked to ensure thorough checking of entry and exit points near border areas of the state. Directions were also issued for checking the flow of cash, liquor, drugs, illegal arms etc from adjoining states and to give daily report to the CEO.

He said the voter helpline was operational at the state and district headquarters 24X7. All DEOs were directed to make all-out efforts to register first-time eligible voters by organising special camps in educational, technical and professional institution, he said.

He said out of 78,230 new requests online by eligible electors, as many as 22,450 electors have been enrolled in the age group of 18-19 years. The process was being expedited for new enrolments, he said.