Alappuzha: A significant number of CCTV cameras installed to monitor the strong rooms containing voting machines sustained damages after being struck by lightning during the rain in Alappuzha on Tuesday night. Of the 244 CCTV cameras installed, 169 of them got damaged.
The voting machines are being stored in the strong room at St Joseph's College, Alappuzha.
A team of election officials and technicians from IT Mission immediately sprang into action upon being informed of the damage. While the cameras surveilling the strong rooms were repaired at night, the rest of them were repaired and made fully functional by Wednesday morning. District Collector Alex Varghese has instructed the authorities to install lightning conductors in the building to prevent such incidents.
The news of the cameras getting damaged was informed to the candidates over the phone by the District Collector on Tuesday night. KPCC Political Affairs Committee member and main election agent to Congress candidate KC Venugopal, M Liju has filed a written demand seeking the appointment of overseers to supervise the strong rooms and dispel any concerns regarding the safe storage of the voting machines.
Amidst the ongoing heatwave, the IMD has warned of isolated heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning in parts of Kerala, including Alappuzha, till May 4.
