The Hindu : Chaos governs issue of photo ID cards

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

Chaos governs issue of photo ID cards

K. Balchand

PATNA

The turnout is massive and the queue serpentine. The atmosphere is almost festive; there is a constant murmur of conversation and excited chatter. You could be forgiven for thinking it is election day at a polling station. But the people here are not awaiting their turn to cast votes; they are here to get their all-important photo-identity cards, which will allow them to exercise their right to vote.

But given that it is an 11th hour exercise, there are a lot of problems. There is a heavy rush with people spending an entire day in the hope that they will get their ID cards. In fact, when a similar exercise was launched nine years ago, the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav, scoffed at the idea, arguing that photo ID cards were a waste of money and worthless. Mr. Yadav was successful in his campaign; the exercise was given up halfway through.

The scene is different this time round. Families, that is the eligible ones, gather at the card-issuing centres; there are plenty of infants to be seen, either in their parents' arms or playing nearby. The issue of cards is a laborious process; in three days, only 30,000 cards have been issued in the Bihar capital. "I've been coming for the past four days," says a furious Ramesh Singh, "hoping that my turn will come to be photographed."

He is not the only one to complain. The situation is complicated by the fact that political parties are mobilising their supporters to go and get the cards too; they almost seem to be competing to see who can mobilise more. Clearly, the issuance of the card presents a novel method of electioneering at the grassroots level by the local leaders and workers.

In the card issuing centres, chaos reigns. If the official scrutinising the forms is at work, the photographer is not, and vice versa. And of course, if your name is not on the voters list, then there's no question of getting a card. Obviously, there are a lot of irritants when it comes to getting your photo ID card.

Big queues and long waiting times lead to frayed tempers; add to this political activists trying to get their supporters in first, and it becomes a volatile mix.

Pushing and jostling sometimes give way to blows being exchanged, forcing police to step in and separate the warring groups. Given the State's history of violence, it is not surprising that the violence escalates into bomb attacks at times.

It is not an easy task to issue identity cards to some 85 per cent of the 5.05 crore electorate in such a short period. Under pressure, the authorities sometimes make blunders.

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