Hyderabad: While lakhs of people in the state are running from pillar-to-post to obtain Aadhaar cards, the postal department in the state has returned 2.78 lakh Aadhaar cards to UIDAI, Bengaluru, citing “wrong and incomplete addresses”.

These undelivered cards have been lying at various post offices across the state for the last several months.

The postal department claimed helplessness in delivering cards to people due to incorrect addresses provided by applicants or due to error in feeding of data by staff at Aadhaar centres at the time of enrolment.

Officials said all Aadhaar cards with incomplete or wrong addresses are being returned to UIDAI, Bengaluru. They said the postal department has delivered 4.69 crore Aadhaar cards in the state so far, while 2.78 lakh cards were returned to the Central Identities Data Repository/ UIDAI, Bengaluru.

Ensure proper pincodes, UIDAI told

In Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district alone, where Aadhaar-LPG linkage is being made mandatory to get subsidised cylinders, the postal department has returned 1.48 lakh cards to UIDAI, while 78.55 lakh cards have been delivered so far.

Another 46,000 cards are in the process of delivery in these two districts. While 89.84 lakh people enrolled in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, the UIDAI has generated Aadhaar for 79.87 lakh people amounting for 89 per cent.

UIDAI had sent most of the Aadhaar cards through speed post. Postal officials urged UIDAI to provide correct pin codes to ensure proper delivery of Aadhaar cards.