In a world driven by documents

Unnecessary Hassle

In our country, obtaining a birth certificate, driving licence, passport, documents to avail benefits of government programmes etc is a difficult and time-consuming process and there are many hurdles involved in it. People have to spend a lot of time and money in an effort to get these.

Also, with people relocating from one place to another, thanks to their jobs, maintaining uniformity in these documents has become a tough task. Which is why, Bangaloreans feel that there should be a simpler way to prove the identity of a person.

While some documents, like ration cards, are issued by the state governments, some others are done by the central government. So it is not easy to verify a person’s identity and other details.

“I had my voter identification card done at my native place. Later, I got a job in Mumbai. My company only assisted me in getting my driving licence. For the Pan Card, I gave the address of my company and of the rented house where I was staying. Whenever I need to produce two photo identity cards with the same address for any purpose, I find it difficult to do, in spite of having all the required documents. My identity cards lack uniformity. I strongly feel that bio-metric identity cards should be introduced as early as possible,’’ says Ranjeet Manhas, a professional.

And in cities like Bangalore, where people come in from across the world, getting residence proof is a tough job. Not every member in the same house can have a rent agreement.

And without the rent agreement, one cannot open a bank account, get a gas connection or a broadband connection.

“At times, I feel that our life has become ‘document driven’. I have all the required documents, from driving licence to passport. But, my father who lived in a village, didn’t even have a birth certificate. My father’s name was spelt differently in my passport and bank statement, so when I applied for a visa to the US, my application was rejected on that ground. And the process was delayed till I submitted an affidavit from the notary,” recollects Mahananda Suttinamane, a retired school teacher.

So whenever there is any discrepancy in the certificates one possesses, the person has to struggle to get the supporting documents to prove his or her claims.

People also say that they should be able to update their residence address, designation and relationship status in an easier way.

“Like earlier, people are not sticking to one city all their life. So, the concept of ‘address proof’ has become vague. Ironically, I had an awful experience here in Bangalore when I applied for a private broadband connection. The system should be made simpler. Maybe the Aadhar card would provide a solution to this problem,” says Adarsh Hegde, a chartered accountant with a private company.