There was a long queue in front of the taluk office of people applying for revision in their ration cards here on Wednesday. The queues have become a norm over the last couple of days.
Many people from Udupi city and Udupi taluk had come to either correct their names or for additions and deletions. People were angry that they had to wait for long hours. The revision work is done on two computers in the Food and Civil Supplies section at the taluk office. Tokens are issued to people to manage the rush.
Mohammed Mujeeb, from Indralli in Udupi, said he had come for the sixth time to revise his ration card. He had come at 9 a.m. and had stood in the queue for 90 minutes. But he was told by the officials to come back at 4 p.m. “Can I wait here till 4 p.m. and spend my entire day here?” he said.
Raghavendra Poojary said he came from Barkur, about 18 km from Udupi. “I am coming here for the second time to correct my ration card. I have to spend Rs. 50 on travel. Then I have to wait here for hours. The procedure should be simplified,” he said.
Vasu, an autorickshaw driver from Badanidiyur, said he had been waiting for the over one-and-an-half hours in the queue. Sundara, who works for an insurance company, said the government should make provision for revisions at gram panchayat offices. Sadashiva Shetty, deputy tahsildar, said the revision of ration cards had been suspended due to the Assembly elections creating a backlog. Nearly 150 tokens are being issued daily so that the process could be quickened. As many as 216 ration cards were corrected on Tuesday alone. “The rush will subside in four days,” he said.
The revision in the ration cards was being done initially at a private service centre near old taluk office in Udupi. The revision or corrections carried out at the private service centre were crosschecked and finally carried out online at the taluk office.
There are plans to start 11 more private service centres, including three each in Udupi and Malpe, two in Santhekatte, and one each in Parkala, Manipal, and Badagabettu, to speed up the process, Mr. Shetty said.
