Three-tier security at strongrooms

Tribune News Service
Patiala, May 20

Following the allegations of tempering with electronic voting machines (EVMs), a three-tier security arrangement has been made at all counting centres to ensure round-the-clock check in Patiala.

Also, parties have deputed their workers outside the counting centres to avoid any tempering with EVMs.

According to senior police officers, the first-tier of innermost security ring is guarded by the Border Security Force, the middle-ring security is guarded by the Punjab Armed Battalions and the outer ring is guarded by the Punjab Police personnel.

“Every security ring has 250 men each, which means that each counting centre, where the EVMs are stored, have 750 personnel on duty,” said senior police officers. “We are not allowed to leave the place under any circumstances,” they added.

In Patiala, there are nine counting centres, while five different venues have the EVM strongrooms. “I personally supervised the sealing of all EVMs and no one will be allowed to go inside the centre, where these machines are kept, till the counting day,” said District Electoral Officer Kumar Amit.

Patiala is locked in a political battle with CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur pitted against incumbent MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and SAD-BJP candidate Surjit Singh Rakhra.

Tight vigil 

• The strongrooms for nine Assembly constituencies under the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency have been set up at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) 
• Strongrooms for five Assembly constituencies under the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency have been set up at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC) and GNE Polytechnic
• As many as nine counting centres for the Ludhiana constituency have been set up at PAU and five counting centres for Fatehgarh Sahib have been set up GNE Polytechnic and GNDEC. TNS