Permanent address proof for people living in KMC’s urban shelters: SEC’s nod sought

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will write to the State Election Commission (SEC) to check if permanent address proof can be made available to some of the residents of a KMC shelter for the homeless, at Kalighat, where these people are demanding an address proof so they can get themselves enrolled for Aadhaar cards.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor Prabir Kumar Mukhopadhyay informed the civic body of a unique problem when he sought to know the purpose behind the construction of a six-storied building at 242, Kalighat Road during the 90s. He said that some of the residents of that building have demanded residential address proofs for Aadhaar enrolment.

He asked the Kolkata Municipal Corporation if it is within the right of the councillors to issue such address proofs.

Commenting on the matter, Mayor Firhad Hakim said that two floors of that building were allotted for the shelterless people during the covid lockdown.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself visited the location to serve food to these homeless people during the lockdown. However, it is difficult to provide these people with any kind of fixed address proof since they keep shifting their bases. These people keep wandering from one place to another.”

Hakim added: “Although the demand by these people for a permanent address may have arisen due to the State Election Commission recently saying that everyone should have Voter ID cards, we need to write to the SEC to ask how and whether these people can be provided any permanent address proof.”

Coincidentally, Hakim recently said he will be writing to the Commissioner of Kolkata Police to carry out identity verification of ragpickers on city pavements and shift them to the urban shelters in the city.

He said: “I will write to the police to check the identities of these people. Unidentified people with ill intentions can cause a law and order problem. The police need to check their identity documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID, etc, to ensure whether outsiders are staying here illegally.”