the goan I network
MARGAO
The entire consignment of 2000 Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) dispatched to Goa by the Electronic Corporation of India ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election have been recalled by the Election Commission.
A trailer was in the process of transporting back the 2000 VVPAT machines from both the districts to Hyderabad late Saturday night. A senior Goa government official will accompany the VVPAT machines to Hyderabad with police protection.
Around 1000 each brand new VVPAT machines were delivered by the Electronic Corporation of India to the North and South Goa districts ahead of the Lok Sabha election due mid next year. Sources in the know said that these VVPAT machines had passed the test during the first level checking undertaken sometime back. However, the Election Commission has recalled all the VVPAT machines delivered by the Electronic Corporation to some states on grounds that the machines need upgradation with a sensor devise.
Sources in the know said that around 35,000 such VVPAT machines were delivered to some States, including Goa, ahead of the Lok Sabha election, but the Corporation later found that the sensor component was not loaded in the machine.
“These VVPAT machines will be sent back to the state after the Electronic Corporation installs the sensor component in the machines”, an election official told The Goan on late Saturday. The cost
involved in the transportation of the VVPATs to Hyderabad will be borne by the State government, sources said.
Incidentally, The Goan understands that around 400-odd ballot units and control units of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) which suffered from technical snag will also be returned to Hyderabad along with the VVPATs.
Sources in the know said that around 400-odd ballot and control units of the EVMs were found defective during the first level of checking exercise undertaken by engineers of the Electronic
Corporation along with local officials. “All the defective ballot and control units are in the process of being dispatched back to Hyderabad along with the VVPATs”, informed an official.
At the Old South Goa Collectorate building, which is housing the EVMs and the VVPATs for South Goa, hectic activity was noticed late Saturday with workers loading the VVPATs into the trailer under police protection.
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) or Verifiable Paper Record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system. A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results. It contains name of the candidate (for whom vote has been caste) and symbol of the party/individual candidate.
Around 1000 new VVPAT machines delivered by Electronic Corporation of India to North & South Goa districts
VVPAT machines pass test during first level checking
Election Commission unhappy, recalls all machines citing no sensor device
Around 400 ballot & control units of EVMs found defective to also be returned
Hectic activity at old South Goa Collectorate to transport machines to Hyderabad
Govt official to accompany VVPAT machines with police protection
