Plaints in Thrissur over CCTV malfunction at strong rooms

Thrissur: UDF candidates in Guruvayur and Manaloor have complained to the election commission (EC) alleging that the CCTV cameras in the strong rooms where the voting machines and postal ballots were being kept are not functioning properly. The electronic voting machines (EVM) and postal ballots are being kept in the strong rooms of Shree Krishna College in Guruvayur. According to C C Sreekumar — the chief election agent of UDF candidate in Manaloor T N Prathapan — one of the seven CCTV cameras installed in the backside of the strong room was seen not functioning between 3.01pm and 3.39pm on Tuesday. The returning officer was informed immediately about this. On detailed examination, it was found that none of the officials of National Informatics Centre were present there at that time. The cameras were not given proper serial numbers also, Sreekumar alleged. In his complaint to the chief election commissioner, IUML's C H Rasheed, who is the UDF candidate in Guruvayur alleged that the CCTVs installed at the strong rooms have repeatedly been non-functional. Rasheed said he has brought the issue to the notice of the returning officer several times. "But it is the duty of the officers concerned to ensure proper maintenance and operation of surveillance systems, especially in sensitive areas related to electoral processes. Non-functioning CCTV cameras may lead to a lack of accountability and could create opportunity for irregularities," Rasheed said. He requested immediate repair or reinstallation of fully functional CCTV cameras at the strong rooms. Strict direction must be issued to ensure uninterrupted surveillance until the EVMs are taken for counting, he said.