TEAM HERALD
VASCO: A communication centre has now become the first stop for most applicants seeking various documents at the office of the Sub Registrar of Births and Deaths in Vasco.
This is because an acute shortage of free forms has led to photocopying of existing forms and as a result, applicants have to shell out Rs 2 per form.
According to sources, people who visit the office, either for a birth/death certificate or a Teor, are neither given the free forms nor are they permitted to submit their application on plain paper. Instead, they are directed to this shop near the office, where the application form is sold at Rs 2.
Speaking to Herald, F X D’Souza said the office used to earlier provide application forms free of cost.
“Now, the sub-registrar of births and deaths directs the people to the said shop. As people do not have any other choice, they are forced to buy application forms from the shop. We cannot question the registrar either for fear that the staff could act in a vindictive manner,” said D’Souza.
Another person, Savio Fernandes, recalled that when the office was at Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) building, the staff would ask the applicants to write details on a plain paper and submit it to the office, if the printed applications were out of stock.
“The sub registrar now simply directs the applicants to the shop for application forms. The government should look into this matter and pull up those involved in the racket,” said Fernandes.
Shaym Phadte added, “The sub registrar should put up a notice informing the applicants that the office also accepts handwritten application instead of only directing them to the shop.”
Since the printed applications are addressed to the civil registrar cum sub-registrar and not the sub-registrar of births and deaths, Herald contacted Mahesh R Prabhu Parrikar, Civil Registrar cum Sub Registrar, to find out the reason why people were being directed to the shop to buy the printed application forms.
“I am not the issuing authority of birth and death certificates. It is the sub-registrar of births and deaths who issues the certificates and you should find out from the person in-charge. Addressing the printed application forms for births and deaths to my office is wrong, as I am not looking after such matters,” said Parrikar.
When asked to justify the need to send applicants to the shop, instead of providing them with free applications, Sub-Registrar of Births and Deaths Sunil P Raikar said, “Our office does not issue any free forms and one can submit the applications online.”
“In addition, applicants can also submit a handwritten application with all the details of the person,” said Raikar.
When asked whether his staff have allowed applicants to submit handwritten applications, Raikar failed to give a satisfactory answer.
