Thousands of Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) were seen dumped in government offices with the electoral staff in many divisions and wards of Krishna district.
The ID cards were dumped in the offices without being distributed to voters.
Colour EPICs, also known as voter ID cards, were sent to the Revenue Department and other department personnel during the Assembly elections in 2019, which were forwarded to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for distributing the same to electors. However, the identity cards were not distributed to the card holders for the last two years.
Tahsildars, municipal officials, Village Revenue Officers (VROs), BLOs and the Anganwadi workers were entrusted to hand over the ID cards to the electors. However, thousands of cards were left undistributed and the cards were seen packed in huge bundles in the custody of the electoral staff in Vijayawada and the neighbouring mandals.
Not knowing that their voter ID cards were still with the VROs and BLOs, many voters were seen making rounds of the Gram and Ward Sachivalayams (Secretariats) and urging the staff to search for their ID cards on the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) website.
Some electors were visiting the MeeSeva centres urging the staff to download their e-EPICs on payment.
“I visited the VRO’s office, met the BLO and Anganwadi staff to get my EPIC last year. The offices were closed for a few months due to the lockdown, and after they were reopened, I again went to the BLO, but in vain. I was vexed,” said M. Suresh of Penamaluru mandal in Krishna district.
Another voter, K. Sujatha, who could not find her voter ID card, said she was worried that fraudsters may misuse the ID cards to apply for loans, or use them to avail government schemes and for getting mobile phone SIM cards. The EPICs are considered a valid identity proof as they have colour photos with addresses and can be used to avail a host of services.
“We request the ECI to look into the missing or undistributed EPICs and take measures for distribution of the ID cards to avoid trouble,” many voters demanded.
When contacted, Joint Collector K. Madhavi Latha said that all the EPICs supplied during 2019 elections were distributed. If any ID cards were left undistributed, instructions would be given to the electoral staff to distribute them immediately, she said.
