'Only 32% domestic gas connections properly linked with Aadhaar

Aadhaar card linkage with the domestic gas connections has been declared mandatory, but till date only 52% connections have linkages with Aadhaar Card in city, as per the records of the district food and civil supplies department.

The agencies declared that no subsidised LPG cylinders will be given to consumer after December 31, 2013, if their Aadhaar card is not linked with the connection.

On the other hand the real beneficiaries for the subsidised gas connections are only 32% of the gas connection holders. Reason being, only 32% connection holders made their connection link up with Aadhaar card as well as bank account. The subsidy of the cylinder will be deposited in the banks only, and for this consumers have to linkup gas connection with both UID and bank account number.

Out of these 32% correctly linkup connections, many accounts are either inactive or having joint account or some other problems. A gas agency dealer, Bharat Diwan, said, “We got calls from banks many times asking for the contact numbers of customers, as there was some sort of inactiveness or mistake in the accounts.”

Manager at a city bank Manjit Singh said, “People give their account number which is not active or provide post office account number. But in joint accounts, the gas connection should be on the name of the first name holder only. When the consumers don't care about these, we have to contact them and get it fixed. It is a very time-consuming process. Consumers should check their account before so as to avoid inconvenience.”

District food and civil supplies controller (DFSC) Dr Sona Thind said they had covered nearly 30lakh people for Aadhaar Card, but out of these many would be of some other districts or states, as the migrant population was in large in the city.

Aadhaar Cards are made for free

Aadhaar Card making camps are being organised in different areas of the district. But at many camps it has been reported that agency people charge Rs 200 to 300 or even more per Unique Identification (UID) Number in the name of completing the forms. Migrant are in large population in the city, and they mostly don't have proper identity cards or residence proof s. In lieu of making UID, the agencies people are minting money from them.

DFSC Dr Sona Thind said, “No money can be charged for making Aadhaar Card and even the agency people cannot make Aadhaar cards in absence of proper identity proofs. If the applicants don't have identity cards, they can get identification certificate from the local sarpanch or councilor.”

She said. “61 machines have already been installed across the district for making Aadhaar cards, and for speedy process 20 more machines will be installed soon.