Mangaluru: In the wake of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) process in Dakshina Kannada partially paralysing birth and death certificate distributions, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) plans to overhaul the mechanism so that the public are not inconvenienced in future.People have been facing difficulties obtaining birth and death certificates from the MCC and other urban local bodies because officials have been deputed for SIR duty. For instance, a woman from Dharmasthala applied for her child’s birth certificate on July 30. However, her file has not yet reached the concerned section from the front office, said Pooja Karkera, the applicant’s friend.Another applicant from Sullia said he applied for a birth certificate on July 29, but the MCC failed to issue it even after nearly 45 days, because officials are on SIR duty. “If we question officials, they cite SIR duty as the reason for the delay. According to govt service rules, how justified is it to wait for months for a certificate that should be issued within 15 days of applying? This is nothing but negligence. The MCC has not even sent a message acknowledging my application,” the applicant said.The birth and death application counter at the MCC office always remains crowded, and people argue with the staff when they do not get proper information regarding their application.MCC commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey said that there are plans to overhaul the entire software pertaining to the birth and death certificate process. “I have reviewed the process and a proposal will be placed before the minister, who will be in the city to participate in the cabinet meeting. It will take some time, but once it is done, there will not be a problem. Only approval is required and with that we can overhaul the system,” the commissioner said, adding that many cases are pending due to the SIR process.
