In response to a surge in demand from citizens anxious to secure vital documents for potential electoral roll hearings, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has significantly ramped up its daily processing capacity for birth and death certificates. The civic body acted on Monday to ease the burden on applicants, who have been facing long queues and application slot shortages.
Quota Increased and New Counters Announced
The KMC's birth certificate wing took immediate action by raising the daily quota for applications submitted via its dedicated chatbot (8335999111). The limit was increased from 150 to 240 applications per day. Furthermore, acknowledging the crowds at its headquarters, the corporation agreed to resume accepting manual applications to accommodate more people.
To ensure faster processing, the KMC health department has decided to establish eight additional counters specifically for receiving and processing these applications. Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, who oversees the health department, confirmed that these new counters would become operational from Tuesday.
Streamlined Processing Based on Boroughs
Deputy Mayor Ghosh held an urgent meeting with senior officials to devise an efficient plan. The new system will streamline operations based on the applicant's location. Residents from boroughs I to VIII will be served at the eight new counters set up at the KMC headquarters. Meanwhile, applicants from boroughs IX to XVI will continue to be processed at the existing counters.
According to a KMC health department official, the additional counters will be staffed by trained employees who will be temporarily assigned from various boroughs to manage the increased workload.
Mayor's Direct Intervention
The decision to expand capacity was triggered by a direct complaint to Mayor Firhad Hakim. During the weekly 'Talk to Mayor' session last Friday, a resident of Indian Mirror Street expressed frustration at being unable to secure an application slot through the chatbot despite repeated attempts.
This prompt intervention led Mayor Hakim to instruct the Chief Municipal Health Officer (CMHO), Ranita Sengupta, to ensure the civic body receives and processes at least 500 birth and death certificate applications daily starting next week. Mayor Hakim assured the health department chief of providing extra manpower to handle the additional rush, stating, "We have been observing long queues at our birth certificate wing. We will help them overcome this situation."
The current panic stems from a section of citizens keen to get their documents, including birth certificates which serve as proof of citizenship, in order. They are doing this to be prepared in case they have to appear at a hearing to confirm their names on the electoral roll, a process linked to the Subordinate Legislation (SIR).
