Chaos at Aadhaar enrolment centre

Officials turn blind eye to people who came in large numbers after an announcement of linking Aadhaar with ration card

October 15, 2014 11:56 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 10:53 pm IST - HYDERABAD:

Altab Baig, whose gender was registered as 'female' in the Aadhaar card, has made several futile applications to the Unique Identitification Authority of India office here during the past several months. On Wednesday he shows his card to the media at a MeeSeva centre in Banjara Hills, in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Altab Baig, whose gender was registered as 'female' in the Aadhaar card, has made several futile applications to the Unique Identitification Authority of India office here during the past several months. On Wednesday he shows his card to the media at a MeeSeva centre in Banjara Hills, in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Aafrin Ahmed from Rajeev Nagar in Yousufguda stood in the line for nearly six hours to get her son enrol for the Aadhaar card, but all that officials did was to enter her name as Trishiya Begum, mother of Abdul Jaleel. She was asked to get evidence for the mistake to be rectified and after standing in the queue for four hours, she was asked to get it rectified at the MeeSeva Centre where the Aadhaar card is issued. It is the third day and her agony continues.

She was one of the scores of people, who thronged the Aadhaar centre in the Karvy Consultancy compound in Road No. 10 of Banjara Hills and found no help from officials. Chaos, unruliness and disorder was the scene at the centre as people were in a hurry to enrol for the Aadhaar card or get their mistakes rectified as the Telangana State government had made Aadhar mandatory for the food card with the last date being October 20.

Officials concerned were equally unresponsive, as they simply diverted the surging numbers asking them to come on October 20 to submit the form. Altaf Baig, who had come all the way from Uppal to get his name rectified from Anees Fatima in the card, is furious.

“I submitted for rectification in Aadhaar six months ago. Now the government is threatening to snatch away my ration card in the absence of Aadhaar. Why should I suffer for other’s mistakes,” he questioned. After spending six hours at the centre and meeting few officials, he was asked to come again after five days. People came from places such as Medchal and old city and stood in the queues for hours. “I came at 6 a.m. and I got a form to apply for the card at 5 p.m.,” said Ali from Shalibanda.

Venkatramana, who came with his two-year-old daughter, had to go through similar ordeal. “The government has created panic by suddenly announcing that ration card will be linked to Aadhaar card. Then where was the need for the information collected through the surveys,” he questioned.

Police had to intervene with the queues going out of control and people losing patience. As police personnel tried to control the crowd, women picked up arguments and vented their anger against the government.

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