VASCO: Aadhaar Card is now becoming a must for a range of transactions, financial and otherwise. Now there are certain deadlines that one needs to meet related to individual Aadhaar to avoid pain in the coming year, 2018. This document is also very important to those having existing bank accounts and by December 31, 2017 they will have to link accounts with Aadhaar number or else accounts will be invalid.
This has led to a panic rush at an enrolment centre which is located on the third floor of Mehta House (commercial building) in Vasco. Sadly, a malfunctioning lift has made visiting the centre located on the third floor difficult for all the visitors, especially the disabled and the elderly. The lift facility is out of order since last several months and the people are forced to climb up three floors to visit this enrolment centre.
“I am 74 years old and I need Aadhaar card to link the same with my bank account in which I get my pension. At this age, I am unable to walk or climb the stairs properly and since last six days I am coming down here every second day but since the lift service is not working I have to go back. I don’t understand the logic behind opening up such a centre on the third floor. I am sure that while opening the centre, they did not keep in the disabled or elderly citizens,” said Maria D’Silva, a Vasco resident, narrating her ordeal.
Herald inquiry with the staffers working at the enrolment centre revealed that at an average over 100 people visit this office every day and sometimes the number of visitors even crosses 200. It was also informed that among the visitors the number of elderly people is high after instructions to link bank accounts with Aadhaar number were issued.
“We understand the sufferings of the visitors as even we are forced to climb three floors since the time the lift facility malfunctioned. Since our agency is used hired premises we made complaints and requested for repair of lift facility to the person managing the affairs of the private building, but nothing happened till date,” a staff working at the enrolment centre at Mehta House informed Herald.
Some concerned citizens also brought to the notice of Herald that few months ago the Aadhaar issuing authority UIDAI had asked the States to ensure that all the enrolment centres, even those operated by private agencies should be shifted from private locations into government premises, however, this instructions was not followed at Vasco, leaving the citizens face undue hardships.
Since the issue is serious, several concerned citizens as well as NGO’s from Vasco have demanded intervention of the State administration as people are left to face hardships in getting their work done at Vasco’s Aadhar enrolment centre.
