Bhubaneswar: Aadhaar has become essential for accessing a wide range of government and public services, from school admissions and opening bank accounts to obtaining ration cards, social security benefits and pensions. However, people seeking to enrol for a new Aadhaar card or correct existing details are facing long waits, repeated visits and cumbersome paperwork at the UIDAI State Office in Bhubaneswar.

The UIDAI state office at OCAC Tower in Acharya Vihar sees hundreds of applicants every day. Many visitors, including elderly people and those travelling from distant districts, complain that they are often turned away over documentation requirements and asked to return with additional papers.

Applicants also allege that even after making repeated requests for corrections, errors continue to appear on their Aadhaar cards. Some have alleged that such mistakes force them to make multiple visits and spend additional money to get the details corrected. The situation has also attracted middlemen who are approaching people around the office, taking advantage of their difficulties.

One such applicant is Gobardhan Khemti from Sunabeda in Koraput district. Khemti, a retired HAL employee, is suffering from paralysis and has limited movement on the left side of his body. He walks with the help of a walking stick.

According to Khemti, his pension has been withheld because of errors in his Aadhaar details. He travelled to the UIDAI centre in Bhubaneswar with his son last month to get the details corrected. However, he said he was sent back after being asked to produce additional documents.

Khemti returned to the centre again and waited from the morning. But even by the afternoon, his correction work had not been completed. Applicants, he said, have to show and submit documents at multiple points before joining long queues for the actual service.

Similar complaints have been raised by Bhavani Shankar Nayak of Gop in Puri district and a couple from Balasore. They alleged that they were repeatedly asked to move between different floors of the office while trying to get their Aadhaar details corrected.

Nayak had earlier applied at an Aadhaar centre in his block to correct an error in his surname. Despite applying several times, the mistake remained unchanged. He was eventually advised to approach the UIDAI State Office in Bhubaneswar. However, he said the experience at the state-level office was no better.

The rush at Aadhaar centres has increased further with the introduction of the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) and Permanent Enrolment Number (PEN) for students under the new education system. Aadhaar details are required for creating these IDs.

Applicants have urged the state government and the authorities concerned to review the system and simplify the correction process. They have also suggested opening multiple counters instead of operating with limited counters so that more people can be served each day.

Applicants say a system meant to provide essential identification services should be made more accessible, particularly for elderly people, pensioners and those with disabilities.