Warehouse for EVMs being built at Kullu
Abhinav Vashisht
Kullu, October 15
Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, Ballot Units and Control Unit Machines will be housed securely in a warehouse being built in the Mini-Secretariat complex at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore in Kullu. The EVM warehouse is being built on the vacant space behind the Mini-Secretariat.
Due to the lack of an EVM warehouse, there is a problem of storing EVM and other equipment after the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Municipal Council and Panchayati Raj elections. At present, these election-aiding equipment are being kept in Government College, Kullu. The demand for making an EVM warehouse was being made to the government and the Election Commission for several years. The EVM warehouse was finally approved and its construction work began in February this year.
The EVM warehouse will provide a permanent solution for the storage of election-related material. These will be mobilised only during the elections. There will be five floors in this warehouse. The two floors will have a District Election Office and apartments for security personnel, the other two floors will have strong rooms and one floor will have a training hall. The administration will be fully assured about the security by having this modern warehouse near the Mini Secretariat.
The construction work of the warehouse has been given impetus. The target of March 2023 has been set to prepare the five-storey building. The District Administration and Public Works Department are trying to complete the construction work of the warehouse as soon as possible. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the construction work was entrusted with the PWD. He said efforts were being made that the construction of the EVM warehouse is accomplished soon, most likely by December.
