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TS, AP urge Centre to extend deadline
The Telugu States have pressed panic button appealing to the Union Home Ministry to extend date for generating Unique Identity Numbers for arms licences.
Hyderabad: The Telugu States have pressed panic button appealing to the Union Home Ministry to extend date for generating Unique Identity Numbers for arms licences.
This is because hundreds of weapons with licences issued by district authorities across the country failed to enter and generate a Unique Case File (UCF) for their arm licences by October 1, 2015,
the deadline set by the Union government. It has resulted in hundreds of weapons falling in the category of “illegal possession.” The UCF is the Unique Identity Number (UID) for each arms license issued in the country.
According to senior officials in Andhra Pradesh State Home Department, West Godavari and Krishna districts have been lagging behind in generating the UCFs.
“As of October 8, 2015, in Krishna district, out of a total of 422 arm licences issued, only 4 UIDs have been generated so far. Similarly, in Wets Godavari, out of 442 arm licenses issued, only two UIDs are generated.”
The Centre has brought changes to Rule 54 of the Arms Rules 1962 and published it in the Gazette of India on January 24, 2012 by setting the deadline as October 1, 2015 to get UID for the arms.
This matter has caused worry to the State officials. If the holders of arms licenses failed to get their UID by the deadline, which already passed, then their weapons would be treated as illegal, and also no renewal would be entertained, they added.
Presently, out of 6,320 total arms licenses issued in 13 districts of the State, UIDs have been generated only for 4,331 making a total of only 80.8 per cent licensed arms legal as on October 1, 2015.
Anantapur district with 969 arm licenses which ranks highest than any other district in the State could generate 95 per cent of UIDs. Similarly, in Telangana State, out of a total 8,600 arm licenses issued only 88.4 per cent of UIDs have been generated. Medak with 0.9 per cent and Warangal with 20.3 per cent have been the lowest in generating UIDs against the arm licenses issued.
When asked, sources said, “Among the licence holders, there are several MPs, MLAs, former people’s representatives as well as prominent film actors in cities like Hyderabad.”
Following large numbers of arms failing to fulfil generating the UIDs within the stipulated date and face the threat of being treated as illegal weapons, the State governments have made a request to the Centre to extend the deadline.
However, “if the date is not extended then we will be left with no other option but to refuse to renew the arm licenses in case of those who have failed to get their UIDs,” said a senior police official from Andhra Pradesh.
The National Database on Arm Licenses (NDAL) has been created for the purpose of tracking and strictly accounting for the kind of weapons and the name of details of the people possessing such licences.
By:VRC Phaniharan
