Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 9: The deployment of officials and staff of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) for the SIR process has severely affected birth and death registration services. The application acceptance system, which was ordinarily available throughout the day, has now been restricted to between 10 am and 1.30 pm.

A notice displayed at the corporation office states that applications for birth and death certificates will be accepted only during these limited hours from June 30 to July 29. As a result, large numbers of citizens have been arriving early every morning and waiting in long queues.

Parents seeking birth certificates for newborns, family members requiring death certificates, and citizens needing these documents for pensions, insurance, banking and other official purposes are being forced to stand in queues for hours. Members of the public have expressed dissatisfaction that, owing to the curtailed hours, the counters often close before their turn arrives.

While the deployment of staff for special government assignments may be unavoidable, the administration also bears the responsibility of ensuring the continuity of essential public services. Since birth and death certificates are legally mandated and often urgently required documents, delays in their issuance directly affect citizens’ day-to-day affairs.

The public has suggested that the problem could be substantially eased by appointing temporary staff, opening additional counters or extending the hours for accepting applications. They have also called for a more efficient system for online applications and the issuance of certificates, noting that some people have been visiting the office repeatedly for several days without their work being completed.