TNN | Mar 27, 2014, 01.15AM IST
RAIPUR: Issuing Aadhaar card has become an ordeal at few municipal zones in capital, thanks to poor management by civic body and district administration. Many citizens have to return without verification as officials, who are supposed to install biometric machines, remain missing from spot.
Fuming residents of Raipur Municipal Corporation's zone-3 region waited since 8am for their verifications on Wednesday, under scorching heat, only to see an unidentified person who came and pasted a slip of paper with a message saying that the date has been postponed due to technical issues.
Now, citizens wait for announcement of next date. "I had taken leave twice from office as getting an aadhar card is a necessity but irresponsible administration isn't bothered about what public has to go through. I tried to call officials right from top to junior level and they kept passing the buck or never answered my calls," said Abhishek Mishra, a resident of Anand Nagar, zone 3.
Another resident Gauri Dixit said that her sick mother was waiting since morning as the RMC official, who had handed over the form, asked them to come early to avoid waiting in long queue. "But centre's shutter remained closed from 8am-12 pm," she said.
Similar cases came to fore in various municipal zones. Talking to TOI, zone commissioner SK Rathore said that civic body was responsible only for making arrangement of centre, informing citizens about dates and time. "As far as answer to people's queries is concerned, state census department is answerable," he said.
Rathore revealed that a Bangalore based company has been given the contract for installing biometric machines, taking photographs of citizens and executing other procedures for issuing Aadhaar. "There are many operators who have not been paid for conducting aadhar card camps reacting to which they simply don't turn up," he said.
Due to outsourcing to contractors, who further pass it on to other contractors, the system and citizens are suffering. When contacted, operators in charge didn't respond to calls.