Huge surge in domicile certificate applications at KMC amid SIR; over 18,600 requests received
Kolkata (PTI): The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has received more than 18,600 applications for domicile certificates in the past one-and-a-half months, an unprecedented spike linked to the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, officials said on Monday.
Cumulative figures available till February 6 show that 18,605 applications were submitted, far exceeding the usual monthly average of fewer than 200 requests, sources in the civic body said.
Officials and Trinamool Congress councillors said the demand for resident certificates has "shot up sharply" since the revision process began, as the document has emerged as a key proof of residence for voters whose names were either flagged or left out during the verification exercise.
Of the total applications received, 18,482 have already been forwarded to the Kolkata Police for field verification, officials said.
Police have submitted 16,555 enquiry reports so far, based on which 14,590 domicile certificates have been issued from KMC offices, while 1,287 applications were rejected following adverse verification reports, they added.
The civic body had opened dedicated counters at its headquarters and across borough offices following instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure residents do not face difficulties in securing required documentation during the revision process.
A member of the KMC mayor-in-council said the large volume of applications over such a short period has taken officials by surprise, describing the trend as "unprecedented" compared to routine demand patterns.
Applications received by the civic body are routed to the Kolkata sector collector's office and verified through police checks before a WBCS-rank officer grants final approval for issuance of the certificates.
Officials said that, at present, applications are being accepted primarily for requirements linked to the SIR exercise.
The surge comes amid heightened political activity around the electoral roll revision. Earlier, addressing a meeting of Trinamool Congress booth-level agents, Banerjee had accused the Centre and the Election Commission of bias in the SIR process and asked party workers to assist voters facing scrutiny.
The officials said the push to expedite certificate issuance gathered pace after Mayor Firhad Hakim announced that the process would be streamlined and accelerated to help residents produce domicile proof during hearings conducted by election authorities.
Previously, education-related domicile certificates were issued from Kolkata's Town Hall, while councillors provided address-related residency attestations.
However, there have been allegations that the Chief Electoral Officer's office is not accepting certificates issued by councillors during the ongoing revision, prompting the KMC to formalise a centralised application and verification mechanism.
Under the new arrangement, applicants must submit requests at their respective borough offices, which are then routed to the KMC headquarters for scrutiny before the final certificate is issued from the borough level.
The move is also aimed at assisting voters whose names did not appear in the initial mapping phase of the SIR exercise.
According to figures cited by ruling party leaders earlier, nearly six lakh names were excluded from draft rolls across 11 Kolkata Assembly segments.
Municipal authorities said detailed guidelines have been circulated to councillors to help residents with documentation requirements such as Aadhaar cards and rent receipts, adding that demand for domicile certificates is likely to remain elevated as the revision process progresses.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
