ROQUE DIAS | Senior Reporter
MARGAO: The civil registrar cum sub registrar and director of planning and statistics department, Margao seem to be at loggerheads over the issue of issuance of birth and death certificates.
The director of the planning department, Vikas Gaunekar, quoting directives of the personnel department, ordered his seven officials, who were handling birth and death certificates in the office of the sub registrar-Margao, to report back to the parent office from December 1.
The decision was however not accepted by the civil registrar cum sub registrar, Chandrakant Pissulekar, who immediately dashed a letter to Gaunekar on Wednesday, stating that it was not possible to relieve the staff suddenly. He even strictly asked the director, through his letter, to immediately shift the records from his office, else they would stop issuing the certificates.
“If the birth and death records are not shifted immediately from my office by the planning and statistics department, we will stop issuing the certificates because there is no staff to do the work,” Pissulekar said.
“Though the planning and statistics department had deputed seven officials at the sub registrar office to handle birth and death records on a temporary basis, the office of the sub registrar had to look after it because the fees charged for the certificates go into the sub registrar treasury and not into the coffers of the statistics department. The officials, who are working here, had been appointed by various departments. We need to transfer them back. We too are accountable for it and responsible for the auditor’s queries,” Gaunekar stated.
He however added that the government will decide whether these officials will have to continue or be sent back to their respective offices where they were appointed.
Gaunekar, through an order on November 29, had asked 13 officials working as statistical assistants, investigators, LDCs and peons at various offices to report to the parent department from December 1 and majority of them were working in Margao.
“Deputy Chief Minister had asked the planning and statistics department to shift their records from our office. But even after a year, the concerned department failed to do so. We are inconvenienced by it and people blame us for the mess,” rued Pissulekar.
Interestingly, Gaunekar countered him stating that the sub-registrar has been appointed as the registrar to sign birth and death registration certificates.
“Why will our officials work for the sub-registrar? The birth and death certificates upto 1970 were issued by the sub-registrar. It is, therefore, their duty to issue these certificates without our assistance or staff. Post 1970, birth and death certificates are being registered at civic bodies,” said Gaunekar.
On Thursday, people had to go back without getting any work related to birth or death certificate done. “We were surprised to see the concerned section empty. This is my second visit. I had applied for correction of a birth certificate,” said Joao Fernandes, an elderly man from Seraulim.
On an average, seventy birth and death certificates are issued daily. This apart, correction and verification of the certificates are also done.