Pune Citizens Face Delays as Online Birth and Death Registration System Fails

Pune, 9th October 2024: Citizens faced inconvenience as the online system for birth and death registration, along with the issuance of certificates, was disrupted. This system, provided to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by the Central Government, has been facing technical difficulties for which a written complaint has been filed. However, with no improvement, municipal employees have been bearing the brunt of citizen frustration.

Since 2019, births and deaths in the city have been registered using the Central Government’s Civil Registration Software (CRS). Before that, the PMC used its own system, but the Central Government implemented CRS to standardize birth and death certificates across the country. It is mandatory for all local bodies to use this system.

A few months ago, significant changes were made to the software. Previously, citizens could obtain birth or death certificates from any ward office of the PMC, regardless of where the event occurred in the city. However, since 24th June, the system now requires citizens to collect these certificates from the specific ward office where the birth or death was registered, causing inconvenience to many.

Frequent system disruptions and slow performance have led to long queues at the civic amenities center, with delays in both certificate issuance and the registration of new documents.

At a meeting two weeks ago, PMC officials, along with district doctors and employees, presented complaints to the state government, but no improvements have been made. The system at PMC’s civic facilities center remains at a standstill. Municipal officials have stated that a letter of complaint will be sent to the state government to address the ongoing issue.