PUNE: To stop malpractices, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to issue death certificates within 25 days as per the law. The PMC has also done away with the condition of mandatory submission of Aadhaar card for death certificates.
Kalpana Baliwant, Assistant Medical Officer of Pune Municipal Corporation said, “As per municipal law, the civic body should issue death certificates within 25 days. We have come to know that there are chances of malpractice during issuance of death certificates in emergency cases.”
“As per the law, hospitals should share information regarding the death of a person within 22 days to the civic body and the civic bodies have three days’ time to issue the death certificate. However, we will provide a death certificate in the emergency cases,” she added.
Vivek Velankar, civic activist, had objected to the PMC’s demand for Aadhaar card details of the deceased person or of the family member who applies for the death certificate.
On this issue, Baliwant explained, “To issue a death certificate, the relative of the deceased person should fill up and submit a form to PMC. In this form, PMC has mentioned that a person needs to provide Aadhaar card number details. But now, we have decided that the person applying for death certificate can provide one of the many identity proofs such as Pan card, driving licence, ration card, Aadhaar Card or election card. The corporation will consider all of them as identity proofs. We have sent a circular to all ward offices regarding the same.”
The PMC issues death and birth certificates from their 14 ward offices as well as 14 Citizens facilitation centres (CFC). However, Kasba Peth Ward office is the centre for data entry of birth and death certificates in Pune. According to figures shared by PMC, 65 to 70 deaths and 145 to 150 births are reported every day.
