By Nischith N, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: Nov 6, 2017, 09.07 AM IST
Limited centres, faulty servers are only a few of the problems faced by latecomers
From finding a centre to getting a token to registering your fingerprints - nothing about the Aadhaar application process goes to show it is meant to make life easier for citizens
With Aadhaar becoming mandatory for most essential services, including banking and telecom, there has been a spurt in applications from latecomers. But for a technology-enabled initiative that hopes to link the country through a single ID card, the process of getting it has become surprisingly disjointed and, well, manual. Those looking to get an Aadhaar card recently, say they've had to spend multiple days trying to get the work done - and that too after running between different places.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) website mentions a number of places from where you can get an Aadhaar card. But it is only after one gets to a centre that they're told it doesn't issue cards there.
"I was told I could get the work done at the Bangalore One centre in Mallasandra, which was closest to me. But when I went there, I was told they don't do Aadhaar work there. They asked me to check the website for other centres. I had to try four centres before I found the one where cards were being issued," said R Lakshmi," a homemaker.
But even after one finds a centre, things don't get any easier. "I went to the centre at around 11 am and was told about the 'token system'. To get these tokens, you need to stand in a queue at the Bangalore One centre exactly at 8 am. There's no online booking. I reached the next day at around 8.10 am, and couldn't get a token because only 40 were being issued in a day and I was the 42nd one. So, I had to go another day to get the token. Once a token is issued, the system operators inform us that we have to visit them in the afternoon. But in the absence of a time slot, and looking at the many applicants, I had to wait the whole day," said Nitya K, a techie.
For some centres, tokens are issued elsewhere. So, the applicant goes to one place to get a token and then heads for another Bangalore One for the rest of the process.
Sharing his not-so-pleasant experience, Vinaay V said: "I went to the regional centre for UIDAI near BTC but was asked to go to the designated centre to get my enrollment done. I was told there is a centre in Indiranagar and two others were I can get enrolled. But when I went to Indiranagar, they were not giving out tokens that day. The next designated date for tokens was two weeks later. I went to the Bangalore One centre near the RTO office in Indiranagar and again the token date was almost two weeks away."
Tokens are distributed from 8:30 am to 10:30 am.
SERVER PROBLEMS
Another common problem while getting an Aadhaar card is the server glitch. Servers go down often and the system operators often have no idea when they would be back up again. Rabeka, a homemaker, shares her experience: "I went to the Bangalore One centre in Chokkasandra on October 26, but was told that the server was down. I went again the next day and found that the fingerprinting process would take 20-30 minutes per person. The operators expressed their helplessness as it was beyond their control."
A system operator at a Bangalore One centre, who didn't want to be named, said: "We have complained to authorities numerous times to improve speed and fix server issues. We only get promises. The server frequently refuses to take fingerprints and we have to face the wrath of the people. It's becoming a perennial problem."
FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN
These days, Aadhaar centres are seeing a mad rush from schoolchildren too. With schools making it mandatory for students to have Aadhaar numbers, children are forced to take leave to get the work done. While some of them are first-timers, others are second-timers. (Biometrics data, such as fingerprints, keep changing for children of up to 5 years of age. And, so, no biometric data is collected for kids below 5 years of age. For them, the card is linked to their guardian / parents. When the child turns 5, his/her biometric data is collected and linked to their Aadhaar card.)
Sharing his experience, Avinash Gowda said: "I had to visit the centre for three days to complete my process. On the first day, I couldn't get a token. On the second day, the server was down and the problem persisted for the third day also. I finished the process only by evening of the third day. I got the Aadhaar challan and was told the card will be sent by post to the registered address. One year on, I'm yet to receive the card. I now use an e-Aadhaar printout."
When Mirror reached out to UIDAI officials on these problems, they said they would address the issues directly if people come to them.
