NEW DELHI: EVM machines soon will be stored in a specially designed godown which will have multiple security features. As a precautionary measure, Election commission has decided to build a permanent godown and has also got a site in north-west Delhi which is spread in 12,000 sq m area.
“Soon we will keep all EVM machines in a permanent special godown. The land has been approved to us by the Lt Governor,” said a senior election commission official. The EVMs in the city are currently kept at various strong rooms spread across colleges, other institutions and establishments, under very high security cover. “The proposed godown is a three-storey building and we have also hired a consultant to design it. It will be like a strong room which will have multiple locks,” official added.
EVMs have hogged headlines in the recent past over hacking issues, a subject that had triggered a debate. During the recent MCD polls, Generation-1 machines were used. Ahead of the civic elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had demanded that only EVMs equipped with VVPAT (voter-verifiable paper audit trail) be used for polling. EVMs run on an ordinary 6 volt alkaline battery manufactured by Bharat Electronics, Bengaluru and Electronic Corporation of India, Hyderabad.