29, Jan 2019 | Zamser Ali

In a huge relief to lakhs of people in Assam, the deadline for the process for online correction in draft NRC has been extended by another one month. As per a communique released on 28th January by the office of the State Coordinator of NRC, the online correction of names and other relevant data appearing in draft NRC will be continued till 28th February, 2019.

The statement issued on official Facebook page of NRC says, “Kind attention – Last date to avail name etc correction facility via online mode has been extended up to 28th February 2019.”

The correction process is for those among 2.89 crore people, whose names appeared in the final draft NRC published on 31st July, 2018 but had discrepancies in the data. The NRC authority in his earlier order declared that claim applications and correction process will go on simultaneously. The claim applications were a means for those 40,07,707 persons who had been excluded from final draft NRC to have their names included this time.

The CJP team, drawing from its previous experience in providing legal aid in Gujarat, has stepped in with a multi-faceted team of volunteers to ensure that these people receive a fair chance while filing claims across 18 of the worst affected districts. We want to help people reclaim their rights as citizens. We aim to scale up our campaign and for that we need your support. Your contribution can help cover the costs of travel, documentation and technological expenses and eventually legal expenses. Please donate now.

“Though the process of receiving claim applications started from 23rd September last year no Nagorik Seva Kendra (NSK) were ordered to receive the correction applications or issued correction forms. Thus the NSKs were in the dark regarding issuing of correction forms or receiving such forms. Many people downloaded the correction forms from NRC website and filled it up on their own. But when they went to submit it in their respective NSKs the LRCR or other officials on duty said that they have not received any communication to accept such forms. So, they can’t accept it. Even many people tried to submit correction forms through online process but the official website for correction process didn’t work till 31st December, 2018” says Mubarak Ali, Volunteer Motivator from CJP who is helping people with the NRC Claims, Corrections and Objections process.

“The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) which is continuously helping the distressed people in the Claims, Corrections and Objections process of NRC, tried several times but the NRC authority couldn’t declare the fixed time by when the correction process will be started. It was only in the second part of December we came to know that the correction process of the draft NRC will be started in online and offline system from 2nd January to 31st January,2019” says Pranjal Chaudhary another CJP Volunteer Motivator from Kokrajhar District.

CJP Volunteer Motivator from Barpeta District Majidul Islam alleged, “If the correction process had gone on simultaneously with the claim process then our community volunteers could have done both the work at the same time. But, when the correction process started only after completion of the claim process on 31st December, 2018, we have to move once again to the far flung areas, which has become time consuming and expensive.”

CJP Volunteer Motivator from Bongaigaon Sitenjoy Sarker says, “The correction process have been started from 2nd January, 2019. But in no NSK the NRC authority have supplied the correction forms. Poor and uneducated people can’t collect the correction forms from the computer centres due to absence of awareness and in many cases monetary crisis. Every family have some errors in the draft NRC. So, all of them have to submit correction forms. But to collect forms from the computer centres means a payment of at least 10 rupees. But, one who wants to borrow this form from the computer centres in the forward areas have to spent a working day and at least 50 rupees for traveling charges. When we go to help people we have to borrow the forms of our own. We can’t ask them even the charges of photocopy of the forms. In this way how much we can spend? How much the aware people involved with us as community volunteers can bear? Still, we are working day and night for the error free and inclusive NRC. But, when the leaders of the ruling party continuously discrediting the NRC, faith of the general masses also diminishes. It has affected the correction process highly. Even a general perception have been created that the NRC is not going to resolve any problem. The entire exercise on NRC will go on vain. So, what is necessity of correction in NRC?”

This is not the view of a single person, but, has been becoming the general perception. From 2nd of January the correction process of NRC has begun. Till now only a miniscule number of correction forms have been submitted through online and offline system. The correction applications submitted in offline system have not been processed yet. So, many people summited their forms in the respective NSKs are in confusion. Some NSKs in initial period denied to accept the offline forms. But, under pressure from various counterparts they were compelled to accept it. Still, they are not processing this forms citing that, no official order have been received regarding the processing correction forms.

In this complicated situation, many people started to return their correction forms from the respective NSKs. The NRC authority is not aware of the situation. They are only concern about the fact that out 68 lakhs family who have submitted their NRC applications, each and every ARN of which some or all names have appeared in the draft list is required one or some correction. But, the last date for submission of correction forms is just round the corner and only a few of correction forms have been received. In this situation, the NRC authority have extended the deadline for the submission of correction forms for another one month. But, the extended period is only for online system.

Now, how many people will able to go to computer centres any pay at least 100 rupees for filling in online correction forms? If someone fails to submit correction forms then not only that person, but their entire family and future generations have to suffer the consequences. In Assam, it is very frequent that hundreds of people have been becoming foreigners only because of minor discrepancies in their name or age in one or more documents. The administration needs to take this into account and make necessary arrangements at each NSK to collect and process all the offline corrections forms submitted so far and also encourage people who haven’t been able to do so thus far to fill and submit their forms.

Related:

Assam NRC: CJP’s Impact on the Ground

CJP Impact: 10,000 Claim forms filled in just 40 hours in Assam

CJP launches App to aid in filing NRC Claims in Assam

CJP in Action: Our Volunteer Motivators Go Above and Beyond