Rajshahi voters given national ID cards

Distribution of National Identity (NID) cards among the listed voters began in Rajshahi yesterday.
Brig Gen AKM Mahfuzul Haque, regional chief coordinator for preparing NIDs and voter list with photograph, inaugurated the distribution programme by giving identity cards to 30 people at a function.
Mahfuz said measures have been taken to ensure listing all eligible voters and preparing their identity cards.
He said preparation of voter list and NIDs would begin at Paba upazila of the district on September 11.
Each NID carries voter's name, parents' name, date of birth, NID number, photo, signature, address and blood group, Mahfuz said adding that each card also contains a bar code to check duplication.
"There are systems in computer servers for detecting persons, who will try to register twice,” Mahfuz added.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Shafiul Alam, Deputy Commissioner Khalilur Rahman, District Election Officer Sayed Mohammad Musa, Voter Listing Coordinator for RCC Lt Col Taher, Joint Force Commander in Rajshahi Lt Col Sharif, Police Superintendent Didar Ahmed, acting RCC Mayor Rezaunnabi Dudu, among others, were present at the function.
“I am happy as the NID will save my vote. I could not vote thrice in the past as I found my vote tendered by someone else,” said Mahtab Ali, 50, of the city's Kathalbaria area, who received his NID yesterday.
Aftab Uddin of Kasiadanga, a schoolteacher, said, “I am happy to be first in getting the NID.”
Laila Arjumand Banu, a data entry operator, said, “We face difficulties in convincing people about the NIDs for lack of awareness.”
Registration of 181,775 voters has been completed since the task began in Rajshahi City Corporation on August 11.
About 2,357 NIDs have been prepared so far and handed over to the district administration for distribution.
Some 908 enumerators, 182 supervisors and 30 assistant registration officers are working at field level in the project.
A total of 540 data entry operators, divided into 37 groups, are also engaged with 250 laptops, high-resolution web cameras and digital finger print readers.