Mumbai Birth Certificate Delays Spark Audit Demand Amid Fraud Crackdown
Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporators on Monday raised concerns over delays in issuing and correcting birth certificates, following a crackdown on fraudulent certificates. The delays have affected residents' study-abroad plans, visa applications, and other document-related needs.
Opposition leader Kishori Pednekar criticised the situation, stating that honest citizens are being made "scapegoats" in the fake birth certificate case. She was responding to BJP corporator Dr. Neel Somaiya's suggestion for regular audits of the birth registration and issuance process. Somaiya called for efficient verification, identifying loopholes, and establishing a mechanism to prevent misuse of municipal documents.
The concerns arose after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate about 19,700 birth records issued without necessary documents. Cases have been registered, and disciplinary action taken against concerned BMC employees.
Congress corporator Ajanta Yadav noted a huge rush in ward offices, with delays of six months to a year for corrections. Shiv Sena corporators Ankit Prabhu and Chintaman Niwate demanded the temporary restoration of online facilities to reduce backlog. BJP corporator Ganesh Khankar highlighted that ward-level Medical Health Officers have 3,000 pending OTPs for verification and certificate issuance.
BMC Additional Commissioner Vipin Sharma explained that the birth and death registration system shifted from SAP to the Civil Registration System (CRS) in 2016, but registration in CRS started only in January 2024. Since then, about 90,000 corrections have been made, indicating a large backlog. The correction module was not activated until January 2024.
The delay is attributed to a post-scam decision centralising all correction approvals with the Executive Health Officer, stripping ward offices of authority. This move aimed to prevent malpractice but has clogged the system. The BMC has sent a proposal to the Central Registrar seeking restoration of ward-level editing powers. Sharma also noted the civic body is digitising birth records dating back to 1960, but immediate relief for affected applicants is not in sight.
