GPS-enabled tracking systems to be installed in J&K poll duty vehicles, says official

Jammu, March 13 (PTI) In keeping with the directions of the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir’s election department will procure GPS-enabled tracking systems for 12,500 poll duty vehicles for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Union Territory.

J-K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for companies to procure GPS-enabled vehicle tracking systems for election duty vehicles.

GPS control rooms will be established at the offices of district electoral officers (DEOs) and the CEO for real-time tracking and monitoring of the movement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) through the trackers installed in the vehicles carrying them, officials said.

This step is being taken for the end-to-end movement of all EVMs and VVPATs on the pre-poll and poll days to ensure careful monitoring at all times. Accordingly, all polling parties and sector officers’ vehicles will be fitted with GPS tracking devices, they said.

“As per the instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the transportation, storage and security of EVMs and VVPATs, it is imperative to streamline their handling, including reserve EVMs and VVPATs carried by sector officers for need-based replacement on the poll day,” Pole said in the RFP.

He said the GPS tracker devices along with all the necessary hardware are to be fitted and installed in the election duty vehicles. The tentative number of vehicles will be 12,500, he added.

To facilitate this, GPS control rooms will be set up at the DEO and CEO levels to monitor and track the movement of EVMs and VVPATs through the vehicle tracking system and other related infrastructure and applications.

“This is a tentative number, subject to change based on the actual requirements calculated after the declaration of elections. The installation of GPS tracker devices will be done inside the vehicles,” he explained.

The vehicles will be stationed at various locations across Jammu and Kashmir, with the specific locations provided by the respective DEOs, he added.