Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Kaul inaugurated three newly constructed warehouses for electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines on Thursday. The EVM and VVPAT warehouses are in Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kannur.
While Mr. Kaul inaugurated the Malappuram warehouse at a function held here, the Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram warehouses were opened through online mode.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kaul said that the EVM warehouses would play a significant role in making the election process transparent. He said the warehouses would end the challenges being faced by the election officials in keeping the EVMs securely at different places.
Representatives of political parties can examine the EVMs at warehouses with prior permission. “This will enhance the credibility of the electoral process,” he said.
Malappuram District Collector V.R. Premkumar presided over the function. Thiruvananthapuram District Collector Geromic George and Kannur District Collector S. Chandrasekhar attended the function through online mode.
Additional District Magistrate N.M. Meharali and Deputy Collectors K. Lata and A. Radha spoke.
The 1,899-square metre warehouse here was constructed by spending ₹7 crore. It has modern fire safety measures, a lift, a generator and surveillance cameras.
