the goan I network
MARGAO
A fire in the biology laboratory of the Multipurpose Higher Secondary School, Borda, on Friday noon gave some anxious moments for the election and security officials given that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) of the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency and Shiroda bypoll are all housed in the adjoining Government College of Commerce and Economics building in the same complex.
As two fire tenders, including the tender permanently stationed outside the strong room, immediately extinguished the fire on the second floor of the building, realisation later dawned that the EVMs were all safe in the adjoining building.
No sooner the security personnel noticed smoke coming out of the second floor of the building, the fire men rushed inside the building to break open the seal on the gate on the ground floor to initiate the fire fighting operations.
District Electoral Officer and Returning Officer, Ajit Roy was quick to term the fire as a minor incident that has taken place in the neighbouring building. “Strong room is all safe under the constant watch of para military force and State police. Fire tender is also permanently stationed at the venue,” Roy said.
In a statement issued later in the evening after Additional Collector, Surendra Naik and EVM strong room in-charge, Sanjeev Desai inspected the place, Roy said a minor incident was reported at the bio laboratory of the Multipurpose Higher Secondary School, Borda, which is adjacent to the Government College of Commerce and Economics, where strong room for the Parliamentary constituency, South Goa and Shiroda bypoll are located.
He pointed out that smoke coming out of a window on the second floor of the school was noticed by the security guards deployed for the safety of the strong room. “A fire tender is permanently stationed at this venue for safety. Executive Magistrate in-charge of strong room entered this adjacent building immediately and opened the lab from where smoke was coming out. This smoke was put off immediately with the help of the personnel from fire and emergency department who had accompanied the Magistrate and police,” he added.
He further pointed out that it was later discovered that the smoke was generated in an electrical wire because of some technical fault.
Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha’s election agent Joe Dias also rushed to the spot after hearing the fire incident. Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, who was heading home also stopped at the spot to inquire about the incident, but said he would comment only after the authorities come clear on the episode.
AAP leader Patricia Fernandes, who made her presence felt, demanded that the district Electoral officer come clear on the episode and clarify on the status of the
EVMs housed in the college building.
Firemen has pegged the losses in the fire to an estimated Rs 50,000.
Power supply to school building has been disabled as safety measures: Roy
MARGAO: District Electoral Officer and Returning Officer, Ajit Roy has said that electricity supply to the multipurpose school building has been disabled as part of the safety measures post-fire incident, even as he arranged a guided tour for the media persons and representatives of political parties to the building affected by the fire.
In an apparent bid to restore the confidence of the people that the fire incident was in no way connected to the building housing the EVMs, Roy in the presence of Additional Collector, Surendra Naik, Deputy Collector Uday Prabhudesai, in-charge of the EVM strong room, Sanjeev Desai, police officials told the media persons to have a look at the Biology laboratory, which was damaged in the fire.
The refrigerator, where the fire originated in the laboratory, was found in a burnt condition while the electric panel was totally damaged in the incident, with officials suspecting short circuit as the cause behind the fire.
While saying that electricity supply has been disabled in the building as part of additional safety measures, the Returning Officer had a chat with senior officials, besides the top official of the Para-military force to take additional safety and security precautions in and around the Multi-purpose complex.
