Pune : Technical fault at FCI Godown in Koregaon Park rectified with permission of ECI, clarifies administration 

The technical malfunction in the fire alarm of the Food Corporation of India godown at Koregaon Park, where the EVM machines are kept, has been repaired with the permission of the Election Commission of India and in the presence of political party representatives and the district election administration has explained that all the EVM machines are in good condition.

Suhas Diwase, Pune District Collector, said “The godown has a fire-fighting system and strict security arrangements are also in place. The administration has informed the Election Commission about this type of technical failure and the necessary corrections have been made to the representatives of the political parties. All EVM machines are in good condition. Special precautions are being taken by the administration regarding EVM security.”

As per further information, Food Corporation of India’s godown houses EVM machines that have been first level checked for use in Lok Sabha elections. At around 7 pm on Thursday night (7^th March 2024), the fire alarm in this godown went wrong and the siren suddenly started sounding. The security guards immediately informed the administration and though the fire cylinders were there, a fire engine was also called as a precautionary measure.

The CCTV footage of the godown was checked. After inspection, the technician explained that the incident occurred due to a technical fault in the fire alarm. This kind of information was immediately sent to the Election Commission and permission was taken to rectify the defect.

After the permission of the Election Commission, at 10.30 am, the representatives of the political parties were called and the godown was opened before them. Representatives of Bharatiya Janata Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena were present on this occasion.

The failure was corrected by ensuring that all the machinery inside the warehouse was in good working order. Political party representatives were also informed about this. A video recording of the entire process has also been done and a report has been sent to the Election Commission. The District Election Administration has clarified that a report has been requested from the Chief Fire Officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation regarding the technical matters and as soon as it is received, additional precautionary measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again.

Shreyas Vange