Getting Aadhaar card is a big challenge

For instance, Nitin Jain, a resident of Vepery, who needs an Aadhaar card for his family, has spent several days to get the form. “Expecting an answer to my queries, I went to a zonal office at Shanmugam Street, the place where I applied for my voter identity card. The officer said the forms are not available and directed me to the corporation office at Kondithope.” His hardship did not end there. The Kondithope office further directed him to approach the zonal office at Ayanavaram where he was provided with a form.

He submitted the filled in form at the office the same day. He was informed that he would receive a message from them. Even after five months, his wait continues. “Later, I heard about a camp being organised at ICF and received a form”, he added. The ICF camp was organised this April for the ward numbers coming under Ayanavaram zonal office. The camp was overcrowded.

Vanitha of West Mogappair had a different issue as her area was earlier under a panchayat. Only recently it came within Chennai Corporation’s fold. “I went to the Ambattur zonal office to enquire, but the officer replied that I had to go the corporation office at Valsaravakkam. When I called them, they further stated that government will send an intimation to her through some source about giving the NPR forms for her ward.

After experiencing an ordeal, she submitted the filled in form at the Maduravoyal corporation office last month. She is yet to hear from officials. The joint director of Census Board Tamil Nadu, M.R.V. Krishna Rao, said “We have been issuing forms to 15 zonal corporation offices in Chennai and are in contact with the corporation headquarters to issue them more whenever required.” It was the corporation zonal offices’ responsibility to issue the form and further inform the residents about biometric enrollment.