CURCHOREM: Many Curchorem residents are extremely hassled as they are unable to trace their marriage and birth certificates in the Sub-Registrar’s Office in Quepem.
It is learnt that many people, who are in need of copies of these vital documents are facing severe problems, as some records are in tatters or vanished from the register books in the Civil Registrar-cum-Sub-Registrar Office at Quepem.
Narrating the ordeal of three sisters who lost both the parents, a panch member of Xeldem panchayat, Babloo Fernandes said, “The sisters were running from pillar to post to get the marriage certificate of their parents. The pages in the books at the registrar office, Quepem are missing and the authorities told them to get a copy of the certificate to reissue the same.”
Due to lack of any documents, they went to church and found a copy of the registration certificate which was issued to the couple by the registrar for conducting the marriage ceremony.
“But the authorities are not accepting it, stating that the marriage records might not have been re-submitted to the registration office after their marriage in the church,” informed Fernandes.
When contacted, the Sub-Registrar at Quepem, Pramod Velip said, “Law does not permit us to re-construct marriage certificates if the evidence of registration is not available with us or with the applicants,” said Velip, when asked if it cannot be done based on a church certificate in case of Catholic couples.
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“Earlier due to rough handling of record books by the applicants, some records have been mutilated or disappeared from the books. That’s why we stopped that system now and we search for ourselves,” said a staffer at the Sub-Registrar’s office.
Law Minister and local MLA Nilesh Cabral, however said, “Let the couple bring the copy of the acknowledgement received by the church after submitting their marriage records in the registrar office and he will help them to reconstruct it.”