Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has finally taken notice of the endless queues and months-long delays that ordinary citizens face at municipal offices just to get simple birth and death certificates. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists has pulled almost every clerk and officer into door-to-door verification, leaving counters deserted. Today, the Mayor held a high-level meeting and issues strict instructions: every borough office must now issue between 500 and 1,000 birth and death certificates daily so that no one has to return empty-handed or wait for weeks.
To make this happen, separate dedicated teams will be formed in all 144 wards, working extra hours if needed. The Mayor has also asked the IT department to speed up online approvals so most applications can be processed digitally and people only visit offices for the final printout. “Birth and death certificates are basic rights, not favours. We cannot let SIR work punish common citizens,” Firhad Hakim says promising visible improvement within the next seven days.
This move will brought instant relief to thousands of families who need these documents urgently for school admissions, passports, insurance claims, or inheritance matters. Residents waiting since October for their newborn’s birth certificate and elderly people struggling for death certificates of loved ones welcomed the decision. Borough chairpersons have been warned of action if daily targets are not met. With the Mayor personally monitoring progress, Kolkata’s civic offices are set to become quicker and kinder once again.