Aadhaar linkage deadline: Mar 31. Waiting list for registration: May-end

NAGPUR: The central government’s deadline to link Aadhaar number with various services and welfare schemes, and telecommunication companies is March 31. However, the waiting list to register for Aadhaar number is stretching to May-end, thanks to citizens’ last minute rush coupled with improper management and lack of awareness about centres. Even after that, it will take another one or two months to receive the 12-digit unique identity number.
Pankaj Maniktala, a resident of Byramji Town, reached the Aadhaar registration centre at the Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) at Civil Lines on Wednesday. “I filled the application and submitted it at the centre. I was given a slip to appear for the registration on May 23. After I complete the registration formalities on that day, I will receive Aadhaar card at my residence, for which there seems to be no fixed period,” he said.

Maniktala added he had received innumerable messages from offices, banks, telecommunication companies, asking him to link Aadhaar number to the services on or before March 31 to prevent discontinuation of services. Like Maniktala, over 100 persons who came to the centre on Wednesday were given appointments for fourth and fifth week of May.

There are four machines and registration counters at this centre. NMC said each counter can register 40 persons in a day. So, there seem to be over 12,000 persons waiting for registrations at this centre.

A NMC official told TOI they have demanded more machines from the district administration but are yet to receive them. “Demand for one machine each for 10 zone offices was made, but we got only four at Ashi Nagar, Mangalwari, Lakadganj and Gandhibag zone. There’s a similar waiting list at these four centres. Private agencies handling registrations are also facing severe problems. Citizens get angry when they come to know there’s a waiting list,” he said.

Most of the people coming to the centre now are either children or senior citizens. “Schools have made it mandatory for children to bring Aadhaar for admission, scholarship etc. Therefore, children need to be registered. Senior citizens are facing severe problems due to change in thumb impression, which fades with age. They are coming in large numbers to correct their records and link their bank accounts, pension and other government schemes. Also, some people come for change in address even though this facility is available on the website,” said another NMC official.

District project manager (Aadhaar) from Maha-IT Umesh Ghuguskar told TOI the problem of long waiting list was only with the centre at the NMC head office. “There are total 37 centres in the city; 16 at nationalized banks, 13 in and near NMC offices, one at Grand Post Office (GPO), and seven at BSNL offices. Waiting list at centres in banks, GPO and BSNL offices is 2-3 days. But majority of the people want to register at centres situated in NMC. We also inform people at all centres to approach other nearby centres, but get no response,” he said, adding, “We have raised a demand for 170 kits with the government, and are likely to get them in coming months.”

TOI spoke to a few persons waiting at the NMC head office centre, and all said they were not aware of other centres, and were not told about this by officials. There was no board highlighting names of other centres.