The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Firm issuing voter cards asked to take corrective steps

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Firm issuing voter cards asked to take corrective steps

Staff Reporter

Officer issues directions based on complaints from public

Laptops encounter software-related problems
Registration of voter names only at designated places

Bangalore: Acting on complaints from public about issuance of elector photo identity cards in Bangalore, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) M.N. Vidyashankar on Monday directed the private firm, which has been entrusted with the work, to immediately take corrective measures.

According to officials, the CEO summoned the representatives of Macro Infotech Private Limited (MIPL) and directed them to take appropriate steps, including arranging for more than one computer system to generate identity cards in those centres having more numbers of voters.

Meanwhile, problems related to issuance of identity cards continued even on Monday as in many places the laptops being used by the staff of the firm encountered problems related to software. In many places the people had to wait for long as only one computer system and camera were used to issue cards.

Problems related to software, web camera, insufficient number of laptops used to generate cards and power cuts have been seriously affecting the process since the drive was launched two days ago.

A large number of people who had turned up to get their photo identity cards as early as 8.30 a.m. on Sunday were forced to wait endlessly in some centres as the staff of MIPL could not open the electoral list stored in the laptops.

Two senior citizens, Ranganathan and his wife, of BTM Layout went to Sathanarayana Primary School, Madiwala, only to see the closed doors.

“Callousness of the authorities in not opening the centre despite making such public announcement had caused inconvenience to many people like us on Sunday,” said Mr. Ranganathan.

A large number of people had to wait for hours at Janasagar Vidhya Samsthe, 14th Main Road, Banashankari 2nd Stage, which was one of the two centres designated by the BBMP for issuing identity cards for the voters in Padmanabhanagar constituency, as the staff of Macro Infotech Private Limited (MIPL) could not open electoral list stored in the laptop.

Names

At some of the centres, people demanded issuance of new identity cards stating that they had lost the earlier ones. Arguments ensued between them and those issuing cards on this issue as there was no provision for issuing duplicate card at these centres.

Meanwhile, the officials clarified that people cannot include their names in the voters’ list in the centres designated for issuing identity cards. People have to submit application forms for including their names in the list before the jurisdictional electoral registration officer.

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