The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has partially shut down its birth and death registration portal to reverify certificates issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) period, officials confirmed on Thursday, 21 May. The move follows concerns raised by the new state government that a significant number of backdated certificates obtained during the SIR exercise may not be genuine.

Why the Portal Has Been Partially Closed

According to insiders within the KMC, the SIR period saw an abnormal surge in applications for backdated birth and death certificates, which were reportedly submitted as supporting documents in the voter-roll revision exercise. The new state government reportedly believes there is a high possibility that many of these certificates are fraudulent, prompting a decision to conduct a thorough reverification before restoring full portal access.

What Services Are Currently Unavailable

A KMC insider explained the scope of the partial shutdown: 'For now, data of the current cases of deaths and births can be uploaded, and certificates will be available from the portal. However, for the time being, old birth and death certificates or digital certificates will not be available from that portal. At the same time, duplicate copies of lost certificates might also not be available from the portal for the time being. However, the partial closure of the portal will be temporary, and soon all the options will be available there.'

In effect, only fresh registrations of current births and deaths remain functional. Historical records and duplicate certificate requests have been disabled pending the verification exercise.

Public Disruption and Civic Tensions

The partial shutdown has already caused significant confusion among residents attempting to access older records for legal, administrative, or personal purposes. The KMC insider acknowledged that 'the public might face some problems because of the partial closure.' Reports indicate that altercations have broken out between members of the public and KMC employees as citizens find critical services unavailable without prior notice.

Significance of the Reverification Drive

The SIR exercise, conducted as part of a special voter-list revision, drew controversy after it emerged that applications for backdated documents had spiked unusually during that window. Certificates of birth and death are among the primary documents used to establish residency and citizenship claims in such exercises. This comes amid broader scrutiny of the SIR process in West Bengal, with opposition parties and civil society groups raising questions about the integrity of documents submitted during that period. The reverification effort signals that the state administration is treating the irregularities as a systemic concern rather than isolated incidents.

What Happens Next

KMC officials have not specified a timeline for when full portal functionality will be restored, saying only that the closure is temporary. Citizens who urgently require old certificates or duplicate copies are advised to contact KMC offices directly in the interim. The outcome of the reverification process is expected to have implications for the validity of voter-list entries linked to certificates issued during the SIR period.