Bhatkal: After remaining shut for nearly two to three months, the Aadhaar enrolment and update centre located at the Bhatkal Taluk Administrative Building, popularly known as the Mini Vidhan Saudha, resumed operations on Tuesday, bringing significant relief to residents who had been facing prolonged difficulties in completing Aadhaar-related work.
The Aadhaar kit at the taluk office had become non-functional following the expiry of a contract earlier awarded by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a private agency. With Aadhaar services at private centres and typing offices discontinued, residents of Bhatkal were forced to depend entirely on the government-run Aadhaar centres at the taluk office and the post office. However, citing technical issues, services at the taluk office Aadhaar centre were also suspended, leaving the public with no alternative but to approach the post office.
Due to this situation, residents were compelled to make repeated visits to the post office for Aadhaar updates and corrections, severely affecting beneficiaries of various government welfare schemes. School and college students were among the worst affected, as Aadhaar-related issues led to delays in admissions and other essential formalities.
Although the main post office accepted applications for new Aadhaar enrolment and updates once a month by issuing a limited number of tokens, obtaining a token itself turned into a major challenge. People from rural areas would arrive even before sunrise, often without food and accompanied by small children, and wait for hours in long queues. The rush became so intense that police personnel had to be deployed to manage the crowd.
As Aadhaar-related issues continued to worsen, the matter was brought to the attention of the district administration. The issue was also raised by the local social organisation Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem before Bhatkal MLA and District In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya. Following this, the Deputy Commissioner intervened at the government level and ensured the resumption of Aadhaar services at the Mini Vidhan Saudha in Bhatkal.
However, residents have pointed out that despite the resumption of Aadhaar services at the Mini Vidhan Saudha, facilities at only two centres remain inadequate for a taluk with a population running into lakhs. People have demanded that Aadhaar enrolment and update facilities be established at every panchayat office, so that residents of remote villages are not forced to abandon their daily work and travel to the town.
50–60 tokens to be issued daily
At present, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mapping of electoral rolls is underway in the taluk. As a result, many residents are opting to correct Aadhaar details before rectifying discrepancies in the voter list, leading to a significant increase in Aadhaar update requests.
Responding to the situation, Tahsildar Nagendra Kolashetty said that 50 to 60 tokens would be issued daily at the Aadhaar centre located at the taluk office in the Mini Vidhan Saudha. He assured that necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that people with urgent requirements are not inconvenienced. He also informed that minor Aadhaar corrections can be carried out online through the UIDAI website.