FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Team Herald
VASCO: With less than a week to go for the March 31- deadline to link one’s Personal Account Number (PAN) with their Aadhar, Vasco locals are rushing to the government offices to update their Aadhar cards, change residential addresses and other details, and complete the linking process.
However, not only are the venues which carry out this work airless and cramped, they also lack basic facilities such as seating arrangements and clean restrooms, even for senior citizens.
The people are left standing in long queues for hours, as the internet servers are very often ‘down’. Citizens, especially the elderly, have expressed annoyance over the absence of a proper system and timeliness of the linking process. Frustrated with the heat and the crowds, the locals demanded for the service to be shifted to spacious and well-equipped venues.
Currently, in Vasco, the service is being carried out in the office of the Directorate of Women and Child Development at Khariwada, which is on the second floor of the building. The staircase of the building is narrow and gloomy and so, it is difficult for people to stand in queues, especially at this time of peak summer. The locals hold the employees responsible for the slow pace of the work, however, the internet is down most of the time, which puts limitations on their operations.
Some of the senior citizens are forced to sit on the staircase, which again creates more problems and leads to skirmishes. Several elderly people were seen giving up and returning home, choosing to pay an ‘agent’ or middleman to get the job done.
