Building to store 15 million ENIC applications

by Kurulu Kariyakarawana

The Department of Registration of Persons has commenced construction work on a multi-million rupee storage facility at its premises in Keppetipola Mawatha, to provide space for the overwhelming influx of applications for the new Electronic National Identity Card (ENIC).The two-storeyed building will house state-of-the-art digital servers with a massive electronic personal database to store over 15 million estimated applications for the new national registry.

Commissioner General, Department of Registration of Persons R M S Sarath Kumara told the Sunday Observer that it is estimated that over 15 million citizen over 15 years will apply for the new ENIC, which is due to be issued by the beginning of 2016.

Storing stacks of files containing individual applications with additional information for the new ENIC is a big challenge with the limited space at the department.

Hence we decided to build a new facility that could store the documents and the digital data in one place, he said.

The high-tech digital data centre will be on the upper floor while the ground floor will be used for the DRP staff working on the ENIC project. Another project is under way to create a back up digital data centre in High Tech Park in Suriyawewa, Hambantota, Sarath Kumara said.

The Department has sought the advice of the Attorney General's Department and Legal Draftsman to introduce amendments to the Registration of Persons Act No. 32 of 1968 to collect personal and family information of people for the national database.