M A I N   N E W S

Identity proof not must
Tribune News Service/UNI

New Delhi, January 7
Having invited considerable criticism over the controversial issue of photo-identity cards in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna today performed a u-turn claiming that carrying of ID proof by the residents would not be mandatory.

“I had never said that ID proof would be made mandatory. The message had been misunderstood.” “I never said without ID cards, people would be treated as culprits. Ours is an open society and no citizen can be put to unwanted discomfort,” he said in a statement.

On January 4 Khanna had announced that he had given an order to the Delhi police for random checking of the denizens for possession of photo-id cards starting from January 15 in view of enhanced terror threats. He had also said if any individual was unable to produce the proof, adequate action would be taken against the concerned person. “I had just instructed the police commissioner to increase surveillance in different parts of the NCT to screen persons arousing suspicion,” Khanna clarified today. He said he had never intended or suggested that non-possession of the photo-identity cards would be treated as any kind of violation or any illicit action.

On the issue of revalidation of driving licenses issued by other states in the capital, he said it was only one of the proposals made to ensure that people driving in Delhi are competent enough.

We will randomly ask licence holders to appear for a driving test for recheck. This is only one of the suggestions, he said. The ID card announcement on January 4 had caused considerable turmoil in Capital’s political circles with some political parties dubbing the move as draconian.

Obviously rattled by the political implications of the move, a delegation comprising Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and her Cabinet colleagues followed by a delegation of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) led by J.P. Aggarwal, including several MPs, called on Lt Governor this morning to seek a clarification regarding the reported requirement for Delhi citizens to carry photo ID cards from 15 January.

Dikshit said neither the Delhi government nor the DPCC were consulted before making any announcement in the regard. “Both I and the DPCC president came to know about the proposal, made by the Lt Governor in a press conference on Friday, through reports appearing in the newspaper on Saturday,” she added.

Accusing the Congress government in Delhi of trying to turn the national capital into a “police state” by trying to introduce mandatory ID proof for its citizens, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today threatened that the people of Bihar will launch a satyagraha if it went ahead with the measure.

PM says he will look into issue

New Delhi, January 7
With the photo-identity card issue in the capital kicking up a major controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said if there were any practical problems, these would be resolved. “I do not want to go into the motives. If there are any practical problems, we will resolve them,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function where the new CAG was sworn-in at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Singh was responding to a question on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s letter to him alleging that the decision was aimed at targeting migrants from his state. — PTI