Kolkata: As identity documents lost in recent fires threaten their exclusion in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, residents of a number of fire-affected slums in Kolkata, from Majdoorpara in Topsia to the temporary settlements beneath the Durgapur bridge in New Alipore, are experiencing increasing anxiety. The anxiety is the same in all of these areas: many fear they will be listed as “non-existent” on the rolls in this year’s verification process if they do not have Aadhaar, voter cards, or PAN cards.
The loss of identifying documents is even more devastating than the buildings itself for hundreds of people who built temporary dwellings out of tarpaulin sheets, tin plates, or whatever was left over after the fire occurrences. Still troubled by the April fire that destroyed their canal-side community, Binapani Mondal sat outside the skeleton of her reconstructed hut at Pagladanga. Her oldest son Rajesh, who works in a Gujarati grill factory, is the source of her greatest anxiety. That evening, his PAN card, voter ID, and Aadhaar were all reduced to ashes.
“His papers are gone, but I was able to retrieve mine. What if they claim he doesn’t belong here? What happens if they expel him? As BLOs continue to visit the area with forms, lists, and verification sheets, Mondal informed a TV channel in a heartbreaking voice. Swapna navigated government agencies for weeks, coming back several times for affidavits, photos, and biometrics. However, Rajesh’s reapplications are still pending because he works outside the state.
“He will come in December, but what if that is too late?” She uttered those words. The fear is not limited to a single neighborhood. Similar concerns are shared by a group of families who lost their homes in a fire in December of last year beneath the Durgapur bridge in New Alipore. Baby Das resides in a temporary shelter with a tin roof supported by bricks to keep it from blowing away in the wind. “My Aadhaar has been renewed. However, I have yet to receive my voter card. I’m terrified,” she murmured.
Moments before their burning hut fell, her husband Bikash had rushed inside to save his documents, but Baby’s documents, which were kept apart, could not be recovered. “What happens if they split us up? His question echoed worries that are becoming commonplace in these settlements: “What if they say she has no papers?” Similar circumstances occurred at Majdoorpara, Topsia, where a row of huts was destroyed by fire.
While most residents were trapped in the unexpected fire, some managed to save a few documents. “I grabbed one bag, Aadhaar, voter card, PAN, and ran,” stated Ayesha Khatun. “She saved hers,” stated another woman standing next to her. However, what about those who were unable to? Since the SIR teams are going door to door, many people were afraid of the consequences and declined to speak candidly.
Even people who have successfully completed partial restorations nevertheless experience anxiety. After getting his voter and Aadhaar cards reissued, Tarun Haldar is now concerned about his daughter Minta. Her voter card application is unfinished, and her Aadhaar is still pending. “My voter card is still not done,” Minta said over the phone from Delhi, where she is staying with her little child. I’ll be back during the first week of December. I’ll start by reapplying. I’m just hoping it’s not too late. According to local municipal councilman Jiban Saha, compensation for burned homes is handled in accordance with municipal regulations.
“And for those whose Aadhaar or voter cards were destroyed, we are coordinating with officials so that the SIR process does not cause them any hardship,” he stated. Reassurance hasn’t, however, allayed anxieties on the ground. Fire occurrences are common in a city where thousands of people live on pavements, beneath bridges, and along canals. The poorest people fear that the loss of their burned identity documents may obliterate their identity itself because this year’s fires coincided with a statewide verification push, which is unusual.
