Shimla, May 8
At the time when people are becoming victim of Covid pandemic in large numbers, the lacuna in e-pass registration software and involvement of some journalist to expose the same in the platform pose a new challenge to Jai Ram Thakur Government. The Government which is expected to sort out the minor issues of improving the software have gone a mile ahead in this matter of faking e-pass in the name of Ex US president and a top bollywood actor.
IT department instead of accepting its mistake filled a complaint with the police and an FIR has been lodged on a media person to fake the e pass software. Department which could play a vital role to disseminate or serve people did not learn anything from the fact, which highlighted a major lacuna in the registration software of the government.
Clearly the software prepared by the state was registering people automatically without verifying their documentation, etc.
It is worthwhile to mention that issue racked up when the faking of an E-pass in the name of Former US president and noted Indian bollywood actor was highlighted by some media groups and online portals.
“Besides an FIR on the ones who faked the system, now if the State government can focus on removing the glitch from the software, without troubling the common man shall be worthwhile to see,” hoped a journalist of Shimla.
Same becomes evident when defending the State Information Technology Department duo of ministers Urban Development Suresh Bhardwaj and IT Ram Lal Markanda said on Friday that the department developed software so that Covid e-pass could be easily provided to the people visiting the State. They said that the purpose of the software was to record the names and addresses of people registered so that their travel history could be tracked and traced, if required.
Even Deputy Commissioner Shimla Aditya Negi said on Friday that the registration process is being done by the IT Department. The e-registration is on auto mode providing opportunity to anyone coming from outside to download their own document. The portal is accepting the document automatically.
However, Congressman and opposition leader in Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Mukesh Agnihotri said that the incident has exposed or put question marks on the system of E-Pass. He said that before getting this pass one has to present a negative report of covid-19 however the process is being compromised.
“Whether it was a lacuna in the software or not, at least the common was not getting troubled running pillar to post for e-pass,” stated Atul, a citizen. Besides the claims and statements, clearly now, after highlighting of this ‘Lacuna’ in the government software, the most affected is going to be the common man, who might again now, shall have to run pillar to post, for getting e-passes, rued the Shimla citizen.
In the fight against the Covid pandemic, by restricting entry of people; the only object of such SOPs is to verify about the health profile of visitors. This fact cannot be undermined.
Yet it is evident that software is not foolproof could be fudged should also be monitored manually to avoid such incidents in future.
