Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): It was utter chaos at the Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) birth-death registration office on Wednesday, the first day of implementing new charges for issuing birth and death certificates. A sudden surge in applicants, combined with a server crash after 2 PM, led to long queues and growing frustration among hundreds of people.
The BMC has shifted to a fully online system, mandating digital applications and payments, replacing the previous offline receipt-based process. However, a post-lunch server failure disrupted receipt generation, resulting in delays of 10–15 minutes per application.
Struggling to manage the influx, BMC staff were overwhelmed as the queue continued to grow throughout the afternoon.
While this digital overhaul aims to enhance transparency and streamline operations, it has exposed major flaws in BMC’s tech infrastructure, underscoring the urgent need for system upgrade. The process has also become more tedious for applicants requiring multiple copies, as each additional copy now costs Rs 50 and must be paid for through a separate transaction—adding to both user inconvenience and staff workload.
Officials said the rush was primarily triggered by a recent government directive making birth certificates mandatory for Aadhaar, passport applications and ongoing school admission. The certificates were issued free of charge since 2016, but a permanent order issued on Tuesday by Corporation Commissioner Harendra Narayan reinstated fees, catching many people off guard.
New fee structure
Under the revised fee structure, birth and death certificates will remain free of charge if applied for within 21 days of the event. A fee of Rs. 20 will be levied for applications made between 22 to 30 days, and Rs. 50 for those submitted between 31 days and one year.
If the application is made after one year, the fee will rise to Rs. 100. In even older cases, applicants must also furnish an affidavit on a Rs. 1,000 stamp paper. Additional charges include Rs. 20 for conducting a record search, Rs. 50 for obtaining duplicate copies and Rs. 20 for the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Official speak
BMC’s birth-death registration office registrar Satyaprakash Badgainya told Free Press that all collected fees are being deposited daily into Statistics Department’s account via bank challans. He acknowledged the server-related disruptions and emphasised the need for a more scalable and reliable digital infrastructure to meet the rising demand.
