Registrar fails to answer RTI petition on birth certificates

[karira]

Registrar fails to answer RTI petition on birth certificates


Chandigarh, June 5: The Registrar Births and Deaths, Chandigarh does not seem to know rules and regulations laid down under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. In reply to a query asking who should be contacted on account of a delay in issuing a birth certificate, the department replied ‘ No such specific information in record in this regard “. The department took nearly three months to give this ‘vague’ reply to an application moved under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Suresh Kumar of Sector 41-B, Chandigarh.

Kumar had to wait for nearly three months in order to receive this information. In his application dated February 15, Kumar had sought information to 31 questions, including who is responsible to inform the applicant about delays in issuance of birth certificates; if certificates are not issued on the committed date, who is the appellate authority and will accept the complaint in writing; explain the process of fee refund in case of non issuance of certificates; list the specific circum-stances/cases under which fees are refunded to the applicant?; what is the liability of the official responsible for delay as per the government rules for issuance of birth certificates after acceptance of fees?; if appellate authority also refuses to accept the complaint in writing, what is the remedy as per the government rules and regulations with the applicant?; after acceptance of fee for issuance of birth certificates, if certificates not issued on committed date, who is responsible to put extended date in writing to the applicant as per government rules?

The questions did not seek any private information about any individual that could have been denied by the department and merely asked the procedure entailed in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. Surprisingly, rather than supplying the information, the department answered to all the queries in one line which reads “No such specific information in record in this regard”. A month after filing the application, when Kumar approached the concerned authorities, they directed Kumar to deposit Rs 10 as fees for supplying information. Much to his chagrin, Kumar was made to visit the office umpteen times in order to deposit Rs 10.

Kumar filed an appeal before the Joint Commissioner cum appellate authority, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, who then directed the department to supply the information. Taking no chance this time, Kumar deposited Rs 50 to get the information. In the end Rs 40 were charged from him for a reply that supplied no information.

Kumar had asked three questions on the procedure of registration of birth certificates in his application, to which the department had no reply. After acceptance of late registration fee, how much time is required under the rules to record the entry in the birth register? Quote specific government rules and provisions and notifications made by the government. List the number of instances in which birth events have been recorded after one year of birth by your office without SDM orders. What is the period for the issuance of birth certificates after receipt of fee by your office?

While the first and third queries received the same reply, “No such specific information in record in this regard”, the reply to the second question given by the department was just “No”. When contacted, Additional District Registrar Births and Deaths Harsh Vardhan, who had signed the aforesaid reply, said, “Actually, there was no delay on the department’s part. The applicant must have sought something specific, which could not been replied to.”

Registrar fails to answer RTI petition on birth certificates