NEW DELHI: With Delhi imposing night curfew till April end, many e-pass applicants are either facing problems to get the document or seeing their applications getting rejected by the city government. The backlog could get heavier as there is a scramble among those involved in essential services to get the pass for movement in the seven-hour window from 10pm to 5am.
Those falling in category of essential services will require a soft or hard copy of the e-pass to travel during curfew hours. “We applied for an e-pass but did not get it on the first attempt. The website asks for visiting cards and IDs which have to be Delhi based, but I do not have either. The government should come up with a solution,” said a working professional who works in the city and is eligible for exemption from night curfew but requires a pass for traveling.
There were reports that the authorities across districts received over 73,000 applications for e-passes, of which only 1,271 were approved. Over 34,000 applications were rejected as the applicants did not fall in the exempted categories according to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) order, the reports said. “Some initial technical problems were encountered on the first day but directions have been issued to all the district magistrates to smoothen out the issues. After which the passes are being issued easily,” said a Delhi government official.
E-pass can be obtained from the Delhi government website www.delhi.gov.in. An applicant is required to enter all the mentioned details. After filling the form, applicants will receive a QR enabled exemption on the given mobile number or email. Shopkeepers selling essential goods like groceries, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat & fish, animal fodder, pharmaceuticals, medicines and medical equipment will be allowed to move after getting an e-pass. Media persons and people related to telecommunications and internet services also come under this category. Pregnant women, patients seeking treatment are exempted.