Controversy in Gondia: UID Survey Halted Amid Allegations of Illegal Fees

A property survey in Gondia, Maharashtra, aimed at providing permanent UIDs to residents was halted by the civic chief due to allegations of unauthorized fees being charged. The survey involved 45,000 registered properties. It was revealed that the acquisition of a UID was not mandatory and should be free.

A property survey in Gondia, Maharashtra, aimed at providing residents with permanent unique identification numbers (UID) has been halted by the municipal council's chief amid allegations of illegal fees, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

The survey was supposed to catalog approximately 45,000 registered properties within the jurisdiction of the Gondia Municipal Council. A Nagpur-based agency was contracted to carry out the survey.

Gondia Municipal Council Chief Officer Sunil Ballal issued orders to cease the survey following complaints from residents that they were being charged Rs 100 for the UID document, which is neither mandatory nor should incur any fee. Mukesh Mishra, district vice president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, confirmed that actions were being sought against the agency for the alleged misconduct.