Obtaining national identity card (NID) is again fraught with the old snags. For many, it is an awful experience despite claims by the authorities concerned that the system has been much eased than before. Ever since the NIDs -- wrongly dubbed voter identity cards in common parlance -- began to be issued, there were problems. A great deal of such problems should be traced to the inefficiency of the issuing agency-the NID project office. There were technical glitches, incorrect spelling of names, in either Bangla or English, or both and other information relating to the holders of the cards. The maladies seem to be so deeply imbedded in the system that even after several years the old problems persist, that too in more varied dimensions.
There seems to be a lack of planned activities that is obstructing smooth issuance of NIDs. Given that NID is now an essential requirement as an instrument of legitimacy as well as legality for most activities such as opening a bank account, applying for a passport or buying or selling of properties, the number of NID seekers is increasing enormously. There is another problem equally disturbing for those who have already obtained NIDs, but with incorrect information, wrong spelling, hazy and almost unrecognisable photographs. These people are neither in a position to make use of their NIDs nor are they finding it smooth to get the corrections done in a short time.
Although the NID services have been decentralised at the local levels, as claimed by the authorities, media reports are aplenty about experiences what common people prefer to term harassment. While delay is a common problem, often taking months to complete the whole process, corrections on the already issued NIDs take a difficult toll on most sufferers. It has thus been reported that thousands of incorrectly-issued NIDs have left the holders non-functional in many of their activities. But complaints for necessary correction are not addressed in the manner they should have been. One of the contemporaries says that there is no designated wing under the NID project to address such complaints. As for the fresh NIDs, most observers are intrigued by the time-consuming nature of issuance, and unfortunately, the authorities, too, do not seem to have an appropriate answer to it. Why should the completion of the process take so long a time is indeed too riddling. Taking advantage of the mismanagement, NID-seekers, who are compelled to seek help from the brokers, end up with yet greater misery. Inexperience of the staffers at the NID office, coupled with a lack of professionalism, is blamed by many as the root cause of all the evils.
There is more to the NID scheme at the policy level. Although initially, public perception of NIDs as Voter Id Cards proved wrong, the obvious question cannot be ignored. Since the NIDs are meant to certify about the genuineness of the holders, why shouldn't these be used as testifying to the genuineness of the voters in national and other local-level elections? Why a separate and redundant voter list? To get the answer right, one need not wait for an expert opinion. Clearly, if the government intends to make the NID a single document to serve multi-purpose needs, it has to fit well as an all-encompassing instrument for the citizens.
Removing NID hassles
FE Team | Published: September 09, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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