Malfunctioning TV screen in Erode strong room containing ballot boxes, VVPAT machines rectified

Chennai: A television screen displaying the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage from a strong room containing ballot boxes and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines in Tamil Nadu’s Erode malfunctioned for two hours on Tuesday before the fault was rectified, officials said

The incident occurred at the Government College of Engineering in Chithode where ballot boxes and VVPAT machines of the Erode Lok Sabha constituency were kept.

Officials of the Election Commission of India(ECI) found that the screen displaying footage of cameras installed in the strong room, where machines used in the Kumarapalayam Assembly constituency of Erode Lok Sabha constituency were kept, had malfunctioned at the control room.

An inspection was held at the strong room by Assistant Returning Officer and Revenue Divisional Officer, Erode, M. Sathish Kumar, along with representatives of candidates, and it was found that the cameras were functional and were recording footage but a fault had occurred in the connection line from the strong room to the control room at the administrative block.

The fault was explained to the representatives of the candidates and technicians rectified the fault and normalcy was restored within two hours.

On Sunday, a camera installed outside one of the strong rooms had malfunctioned but was repaired.

Ballot boxes and VVPATs used in the six Assembly constituencies in Erode Parliamentary constituency – Kumarapalayam, Erode (East), Erode (West), Modakkurichi, Dharapuram and Kangeyam – have been kept at the counting centre, and a three-tier security system put in place.

District Election Officer and Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara has asked the vendor to inspect the CCTV cameras and their functioning and submit a report at the earliest. He had also asked the vendor to take necessary steps to prevent any further issues.

–IANS