Just two days after Delhi’s LG made it mandatory for all citizens of Delhi to carry a photo-ID card at all times, the move has come under stark criticism from all quarters.
The Delhi administration’s insistence that all citizens should carry identity cards from Jan 15 is being attacked by all parties
NEW DELHI: Just two days after Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna made it mandatory for all citizens of Delhi to carry a photo-ID card at all times, the move has come under stark criticism from all quarters.
Though the LG and Delhi police commissioner YS Dadwal had, in unison, announced that the stricture was issued to create foolproof security in the face of terror threats, the general public and politicians feel that the order would only cause harassment of people at the hands of cops. “There is probably no area in the capital which is more secured than Parliament. Despite all checks being in place, there was an attack. Terrorists manage to get fake photo IDs anyway. The police will only harass general public and mint money through this order,” said Ankur Modi, a software engineer, with a leading multinational company.
The police can check people randomly for the ID cards and if a person is caught without an acceptable ID card, he would be sent to the office of the sub divisional magistrate where his identification would be established. A person with a valid photo-ID would have to act as a witness for the former in order to verify the credentials.
The acceptable photo IDs could be a voter ID, ration card, school or college ID cards, passport or an office ID-card, provided the company is enlisted with the police.
With state assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year, the order has become a political hot potato also. While Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has denied any knowledge of the move, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief JP Agrawal has dubbed the move as “highly impractical and a move to make Delhi a police state.”
Interestingly, Dikshit was not even aware of the order till she read the newspapers on Saturday. “I have learnt about the order only through the media. I am sure that if the LG has issued an order to this effect, he must have studied its implications in detail,” is all she said.
“If the LG wanted to issue such an order, he should have first discussed it with the chief minister, the MPs and MLAs, NGOs and other public bodies. By rushing up the matter, the move will only cause rampant dissatisfaction,” said Agrawal. He added that the Congress party was working out a strategy to get the implementation of the order deferred.
The chief of BJP’s state unit, Harshvardhan also criticised the order. “The LG’s intention is noble but the order is impractical,” he said.
Even though the announcement was made in the presence of senior officers of Delhi Police, the cops too appear confused about its implementation. “We do understand that the order has many flip sides to it. There is a feeling amongst people that it would give policemen a chance to mint money,” said a senior police officer. The Delhi Police plans to bring out advertisements on January 10.
y_puneet@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}