The Indian Express                    04.04.2013

Pune civic body to add colour to birth, death certificates

To check issuance of bogus birth and death certificates, Pune
Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to change the color scheme of
the certificates issued by it.

Instead of the plain white paper format, it will now issue birth
certificates in pink and yellow and death certificates in blue and
yellow format.

Incidentally, PMC’s decision was triggered by recent reports of a
bogus birth certificate being issued to MNS corporator Priya Gadade. An
inquiry, based on the complaint filed by her electoral opponent, proved
that irregularities had indeed taken place. PMC records revealed that
the registration number issued to Gadade was that of some other person,
and that she, with the help of the civic staff, got herself a fabricated
certificate issued, which she submitted to the election office.

The PMC had to file a police complaint against the civic staff
for issuing a bogus birth certificate to Gadade and a small cause court
disqualified Gadade as a corporator, while urging the civic
administration to start fresh election process for the electoral ward
from where she was declared elected. Gadade has been banned for
contesting election for the next seven years.

The PMC health department has the responsibility of issuing these
certificates to citizens. The main office is situated near Kumbharwada.
The civic body has now decentralised the process at ward offices after
complaints of massive delay in issuing these certificates.

Elected representatives had, for quite some time now, been
raising the issue of inefficiency of the civic staff in this regard.
Incidentally, complaints of corruption topped the list. This was proved
when Gadade, an elected representative, was found to have been issued a
bogus birth certificate meant to be submitted to the election office.

“The civic administration has decided to make some changes in the
system of issuing birth and death certificates. To check such bogus
certificates from being issued, it was decided to issue certificates in
this new colour format that has a mix of two shades,” said Ramesh
Chavan, PMC medical officer and in-charge of the department.

Accordingly, the birth certificates would be of pink and yellow
colour shade, while the death certificates would be issued in blue and
yellow colour format. “It would be difficult for anyone to duplicate the
certificates due to the colour print,” he said, adding that the paper
with mixed colour schemes would be made available exclusively for PMC
for the certificates.

“The PMC stores department would make the paper available. It
will be issued to the various ward offices, issuing certificates, and it
would be mandatory for the civic staff to keep record of the use of
this paper,” Chavan said.

This initiative would obviously increase PMC’s expenses in
issuing certificates, but this will not reflect on the citizens, he
said, adding that the first certificate would be available for Rs 20,
while each additional copy would cost Rs 10 each.