GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
How safe and secure are the Electronic Voting Machines stored in strong rooms after the February 4 polling?
Welcome to the newly-built government multipurpose college building at Borda, where EVMs of the 21 Assembly constituencies of South Goa are sealed and stored in a strong room with a kiss.
The multipurpose college building resembles a fortress with a three-tier security ring in place manned by the armed Central para-military forces and the Goa police. While the outer security is manned by Goa police personnel, the middle and the inner security around the building is monitored round-the-clock by the central forces.
In fact, while other central para-military forces have gone back to their respective States after polling, one company is still keeping an eye of the EVM security at the Borda complex. A bunker has been erected right at the entrance gate to the college building, manned by armed central para-military personnel.
Moreover, a round-the-clock control room is set up outside the college building, manned by an officer empowered with powers of Sub-divisional magistrate. These officers, designated with SDM powers, are manning the control room round-the-clock.
That’s not all. The entire premises around the building housing the strong room have come under the scanner of the Closed Circuit cameras. CCTV cameras are keeping a close watch on the movements all around the building premises.
A fire tender from the Margao brigade is stationed outside the building round-the-clock as a precautionary measure to meet any fire emergency. Sources said the firemen are drafted for work at the site in shifts to take care of fire emergencies.
Says Additional Collector, Johnson Fernandes: “The district administration has put in place fool-proof, three-tier security at the Borda government college building premises housing the EVMs right from drafting SDMs round-the-clock at the site to a three-tier security cover, manned by Central para-military forces and Goa police”.
The Additional Collector pointed out that the entire security around the government building has been handed over to the Central para military forces. “The entire security is now in the hands of the central para military forces. Only the outer security is manned by armed Goa police personnel. The entire building premises is being monitored by CCTV cameras”, Johnson added.
Incidentally, the South Goa district administration had proposed to the Election Commission storage of the EVMs at the taluka headquarters of the respective constituencies. The proposal, however, did not find favour with the Election Commission for security reasons. It is believed that EC officials had raised the question of security of the EVMs at the taluka headquarters in South Goa as the machines would be lying in the storage rooms for over a month.
