For more than a week, residents have been flocking to the Kolkata Municipality to apply for birth certificates, especially those who have lost them or never had one issued in the first place. The number of daily applications has surged significantly since the start of the SIR process, with municipal officials reporting a jump from around 300 applications a day to more than 550. In addition to issuing birth certificates, many applicants are also requesting corrections to their names, dates of birth, and other personal details, further adding to the workload.
According to the Health Department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the ongoing SIR process has caused a sharp rise in applications, as residents rush to complete the necessary documentation for voter registration. Birth certificates, which are a key requirement for the SIR, have become a focal point of concern. “People are panicking over the requirement for birth certificates for the SIR process. We’ve seen a noticeable increase in applications, especially from people who were born in private hospitals or nursing homes in Kolkata but may now live in other cities or states,” said a municipal official. Many of these individuals are returning to Kolkata temporarily to obtain the documents, as they do not have municipal-issued birth certificates, even though they have hospital records.
The KMC has also seen an influx of applicants from outside the city, with people from other districts and states, such as Bangalore and Hyderabad, coming to the municipality to procure birth certificates. These applicants are often those who were born in private medical facilities in Kolkata but never registered with the municipal authorities.
Mayor Firhad Hakim acknowledged the growing concern and the panic surrounding the SIR process. “People are anxious. This sudden rush for birth certificates is creating long queues, and we are aware of the pressure this is putting on our staff. However, we are working to increase the number of certificates issued daily to manage the situation,” Hakim said. The KMC’s health department confirmed that an average of 150 certificates are currently being issued per day, but efforts are underway to further raise this number to meet the demand.
The mayor also addressed the pressure on the KMC’s system, highlighting the increasing number of applications for not just birth certificates, but also for corrections to voter details. “Before the SIR process, we were issuing around 300 birth certificates a day. But now, as the voter roll revisions intensify, we are processing more than 550 applications daily, many of which involve corrections to names and dates of birth,” said Hakim.
In response to the rising pressure, the KMC is planning to increase the daily quota of birth and death certificate issuances, which are now being processed through a chatbot system. The chatbot currently handles 150 applications a day, but with the increased demand, the KMC intends to raise this figure to alleviate the backlog.
The mayor stressed that while the rise in demand for birth certificates was a direct result of the SIR process, the KMC was committed to meeting citizens’ needs without reverting to the cumbersome manual issuance process. “We can’t go back to the manual system, but we can increase the daily quota of applicants, which will reduce the wait times and ease the pressure on our staff,” Hakim explained.
Alongside handling the rush of applications, the KMC’s birth certificate wing is also facing pressure from police stations, which send birth certificate documents for verification before forwarding them to the regional passport office. The additional strain from these verifications is only adding to the challenges of the municipal authorities, who are working to streamline the process as much as possible.
Amid the heightened tension, the Kolkata Mayor also pointed to political factors influencing the current situation, indirectly referencing the role of the opposition in fuelling panic. “This unrest is partly due to the actions of the opposition. But don’t worry, the Chief Minister has your back. No legitimate voter’s name will be excluded from the list,” Hakim assured the public.
The municipal body is taking steps to address these challenges, with a focus on increasing the quota for issuing duplicate certificates and improving the overall efficiency of the process. As the SIR exercise continues across Kolkata and West Bengal, the KMC’s ability to meet the growing demand for birth certificates will be a critical factor in ensuring a smooth voter registration process for all eligible citizens.