70,000 NID cards destroyed in Morang

BY SHASHIDHAR PARAJULI, Biratnagar, May 29: During the Gen Z protest on September 10 last year, a fire broke out at the District Administration Office, Morang. In the incident, around 70,000 national identity cards that had been prepared for distribution were destroyed.

The destruction of both state property and citizens’ important identification documents was tragic in itself. However, the burden of that incident is now falling on innocent citizens who had no involvement in the violence or arson.

Citizens who had their photos taken months ago and were waiting for their ID cards are now being forced to return to the administration office to repeat the process. The problem is not limited to retaking photos; they are also being required to pay a Rs. 500 fine, which is unfair.

Rajan Rijal, a resident of Biratnagar-2, said that it is the government’s responsibility to safely store and distribute those cards. “The government failed to protect the cards, yet ordinary citizens are being punished for it. That is completely wrong,” he added.

“Nowadays, NID cards are required everywhere; at banks, land revenue offices, and even for international travel. I travel abroad frequently and urgently needed the card. But instead of providing it, the office is asking me to pay a fine,” he added.

Rijal said he had been repeatedly told to come tomorrow whenever he visited the administration office. He was shocked when officials eventually asked him to submit a Rs. 500 payment voucher.

“They told me my card was burned in the fire during the September protests, and now I must pay a penalty to get a new one,” he said.  "In what way am I responsible if the cards were destroyed? How can such a rule be justified?”

According to Assistant Chief District Officer Saroj Koirala, between 250 and 500 affected service seekers visit the office every day. He said that officials were unable to proceed without cancelling the previous record in the system, and the software does not allow the process to move forward unless a Rs. 500 bank voucher is entered.

“It is not the citizens’ fault, but we cannot go beyond the system and official directives,” Koirala said.

The problem is not limited to the Morang district. Similar situations have emerged in other districts affected by arson attacks. Under the new process, citizens may have to wait another five months to receive their replacement cards.

Service seekers said they were frustrated not only by the financial burden, but also by the delays and bureaucratic hassle.

At the Morang District Administration Office alone, more than 150,000 national ID cards are currently piled up awaiting distribution, while electricity outages and problems with the online system continue to slow services.

The cumbersome process and penalties imposed on citizens have also led to frequent disputes between service seekers and employees. A few days ago, two people were arrested and charged after angry citizens assaulted office staff. One of them was reportedly held in custody for 24 days.

Rights activist Manjita Upadhyaya said it was inappropriate in a democratic state to place the burden of government failures or security lapses on ordinary citizens.

Responding to the issue, Nirajan Shrestha, information officer at the National ID and Civil Registration Department, said the department had discussed waiving the fee with the Ministry of Finance, but received no response. As a result, the department is continuing to charge the same replacement fee applied to lost or damaged cards.

He added that the department does not have exact nationwide data on how many NID cards were destroyed in the arson.