Kakinada: Eluru district collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh on Sunday said first-level checks of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) systems will start on Monday. They will continue till November 10.
The checks conducted from 9 am to 7 pm will examine the functioning of these gadgets.
The collector, along with the Eluru district superintendent D. Mary Prashanti, inspected the godown where the EVMs and VVPATs have been kept amid heavy security.
The Election Commission of India has allotted 5,560 ballot units, 4,340 control units and 5,210 VVPATs to Eluru district.
As per the security directive, mobile phones and electronic gadgets are not allowed into the EVM godowns.
Prasanna Venkatesh asked security officials to strictly follow the guidelines and rules of the ECI in and around the godown. Inspection of the EVMs and VVPATS will be in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties.
District revenue officer M. Venkateswarlu, DRDA project director D.R. Vijaya Raju, Eluru DSP Krishnam Raju, collectorate administrator V. Ramadevi and DIO Nageswara Rao were among those present.
Collector checks arrangements in Anantapur
In Anantapur, collector Gowthami, along with SP K.K.N. Anburajan, checked the arrangements at the godown in the RDO office, where the EVMs, control units and VVPATs will be inspected from Monday to November 10.
Gowthami underlined that no staff will be permitted with mobile phones, spy cameras and electronic gadgets during the first-level checking, which will go on from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
APSPDCL superintendent engineer Surendra has been directed to ensure power supply. AR ASP Hanumanthu will lead the security at the venue.
DRO Gayatri Devi, RDOs Ravindra and Madhusudhan and DETA PD Venugopal Reddy were among those present.
