Times News NetworkKanpur: During a meeting with the municipal commissioner and zonal officers of Kanpur Municipal Corporation here on Friday mayor Pramila Pandey expressed strong displeasure over delays in the issuance of birth and death certificates.She said the people face considerable difficulties in obtaining birth and death certificates, but the KMC officials fail to address the issue with the seriousness it deserved. She noted that in several cases, application forms for these certificates were not even being accepted at the zonal offices.The employees at some zone offices were avoiding their responsibilities by informing applicants that the Nagar Nigam online portal had been closed from Delhi, thereby delaying the processing of applications, she alleged.The problem, the mayor said, is particularly affecting parents seeking birth certificates for their children, as most schools require the document for admissions during the month of July.She directed officials to ensure timely acceptance and processing of applications and to resolve the difficulties being faced by citizens at the earliest.Municipal commissioner Arpit Upadhyay informed that the Government of India’s CRS portal is operational for birth and death certificates, and the same were being issued through it. The record room at the KMC headquarters had also been digitized to ensure there were no issues with verification at the zonal offices, he said.Instructions have been issued to set up help desks at the zonal offices within 15 days to address public grievances and provide assistance regarding birth and death certificates.Records regarding the ACM’s permission for birth and death certificates in cases older than one year were not being maintained in the zones. The officers have been instructed to keep such records in their zones, the municipal commissioner said. Directives have been issued to maintain records of applications forwarded to the chief medical officer, he added.Meanwhile, the mayor, additional municipal commissioner Anoop Kumar, chief finance & accounts officer Rita Sachan inspected the second floor of the headquarters where a fire had broken out on Thursday evening.During the inspection, the mayor was informed that no records belonging to the accounts department, located on the second floor, were burnt. The records pertaining to the property department, street lighting, and other sections situated on the same floor also remain safe.The Chief finance and accounts officer informed the Mayor that the accounts department’s records had been secured immediately upon receiving the news of the fire. The fire was confined to a single old cupboard in the section of the accounts department office that previously housed the zonal office. The extent of damage caused to the records can only be ascertained after the cupboard is opened, he said.
