Anomalies in NRC update

As the process of updating the tiol Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam enters a crucial stage with distribution of forms and submission of completed forms beginning in NRC seva kendras, glaring anomalies are coming to the fore. When the mes of former Chief Ministers Gopith Bordoloi or Hiteswar Saikia cannot be located by their descendents in the 1951 NRC or the electoral rolls of 1966 and 1971, the situation is ripe for political mischief. Searching for legacy data is becoming a headache for many applicants belonging to indigenous communities, who also complain that the NRC forms are complicated and incomprehensible. Many NRC seva kendras are running without adequate numbers of data-entry operators and computers. There are no resource persons to help applicants locate legacy data or facilitate filling up of forms. The setting up of most seva kendras in long-abandoned government houses without rudimentary infrastructure is not helping matters at all. With the mercury shooting upwards and large parts of the State gripped by load-shedding, the overworked staff at many seva kendras are sweating to get the work done by the 31st July deadline without gensets, or sufficient fuel even if gensets are provided. The way the State government is going about the entire exercise has already created misgivings about its sincerity and ulterior motives.