KARACHI, Sept 7: The army-managed National Database Registration Authority, despite reversing its decision to centralize its distribution functions, and opening two more centres for delivery of new ID cards, has failed to facilitate people in obtaining the CNICs.

It took almost a year for Nadra to reverse its decision, as hundreds of complaints piled up with the authority against non-delivery of the ID cards. A year back, the Nadra's provincial management, headed by a serving brigadier, had closed all distribution centres and centralized the delivery of computerized national identity cards (CNICs) by opening the only centre at Awami Markaz.

The decision to centralize the distribution work had been taken after frequent brawls between the applicants and civilian staff of Nadra at different distribution centres in the city.

The Nadra, taking cognizance of the grievances of the people, recently decided to reverse its decision by opening two more distribution centres in Liaquatabad and Malir, besides the centre in Awami Markaz.

However, a survey conducted by Dawn showed that a considerable number of people did not know that two more distribution centres had been opened, and they still came to collect their ID cards at the Awami Markaz centre.

Most of the people even did not know the Nadra help line number (111-786-100), from where they could get information about their cards, the survey revealed. The Nadra officials said that Awami Markaz was a popular shopping centre, and the people could easily reach there.

They even do not try to know about the nearest centre to their homes or workplaces, and went to Awami Markaz to submit and collect their forms, which was a major cause of overcrowding of that centre.

Many people were told at the centre that their cards were dispatched by courier service and they would get their cards soon, the official said. A senior official in Nadra said that the authority wanted to clear the bulk of cards being prepared through normal course and received from Islamabad. He said that cards, which were chosen at random basis, were given to a courier service for onward delivery.

This was the reason that in a family some members received cards and others were left, whose cards remained with the distribution centre from where they could collect the same, he added.

However, the people complained that they were told their cards had been dispatched but after even a lapse of two to three months, they did not get their cards. An applicant at Awami Markaz said that he had been informed by the Nadra that his card was dispatched by a courier service, but he still did not get it after a lapse of four months.

Sources said that the Nadra had hired seven different courier companies to deliver the CNICs at the given addresses. However, the companies had miserably failed to do their job fairly, which gave a bad name to the Nadra.

The centralization decision was opposed strongly by the people and the media as the only distribution centre was not enough to cater to needs of the 14 million population of the city.

The Nadra officials had claimed that the idea to centralize the distribution centre was introduced after it was observed that the people kept searching their CNICs at one swift centre or the other, but failed to get their cards. After receiving a number of complaints, a centralized distribution centre had been established, they added.