People seeking to update their personal information on National Identity Card are not happy with the service at the Election Commission’s National Identity Registration Wing.
Visiting the registration wing, located at the Islamic Foundation building in the capital’s Agargaon area yesterday, applicants were seen frustrated at the slow service.
Some claimed they had failed to meet any official at the booth despite waiting for hours in queue.
“I came here at 9am. And it is nearing lunch break (lunch break is 1pm-2pm). I am yet to find anyone who can tell me what I should do,” said Taslima Akhter, who came from Siddhirganj, Narayanganj. She was leaving the registration wing when this reporter talked to her.
There was a huge crowd seeking to correct NID information at the registration wing lately as the deadline to correct faulty information free of charge ends this month.
Several people said the process was messy, as they had to go to several places to complete and submit application forms.
Many others complained that it was the Election Commission’s fault that they were being subjected to the unnecessary trouble.
“My name is Romel Hossain, but my ID says my name is Md Khokon. I did not make any mistake when I applied for my ID. I have my birth certificate which carries my correct name,” said a service seeker.
“I cannot get a job because employers don’t want to hire me due to the mismatched information. I have been here, waiting in queue for three and a half hours, but it seems to go nowhere,” Romel said.
There were hundreds like Romel who openly showed frustration at the inefficient service of the Election Commission.
“It is a total mess. They spelt my name wrong on my ID and gave my husband a different name. They made the mistakes, not us. And now we are suffering for it,” said a woman, who came from Uttara, wishing to remain unnamed.
However, Ashiqur Rahman, communication officer at the NID Registration Wing, said if there was inefficient service, it was because they had insufficient staff to attend the applicants.
“Come next month, people will have to pay a fee to correct their personal information on the NID. That is why there is a huge crowd here every day to receive free services. At least 2,000 citizens are getting services from us every day,” he told journalists.
He also said they were processing smart NID cards for citizens.
The Election Commission prepared the digital voter database and issued NID cards prior to the ninth parliamentary elections in 2008.
