KMC sees surge in domicile certificate applications amid SIR
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has received over 14,000 applications for domicile certificates in the past six weeks, driven by the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision. The surge reflects voters’ need for proof of residence during the Special Intensive Revision process
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has received thousands of 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.
Most of these 14,000-odd applications were submitted till January 31, far exceeding the usual monthly average of fewer than 200, they claimed.
Officials and TMC councillors said the demand for resident certificates has “shot up sharply” since the SIR process began, as the document has emerged as crucial proof of residence for voters whose names were either flagged or left out during the verification exercise.
The civic body opened dedicated counters at its headquarters and across borough offices following instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that residents do not face difficulties in securing required documentation during the revision process.
A member of KMC’s 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 KMC are forwarded to the Kolkata sector collector’s office, where documents are verified through police checks before a WBCS-rank officer grants final approval for issuance of the certificates.
Officials added that, at present, applications are being accepted mainly for requirements linked to the SIR process.
The surge comes against the backdrop of heightened political activity around the electoral roll revision. Earlier, addressing a meeting of TMC booth-level agents (BLA), Banerjee had accused the Centre and the Election Commission of bias in the SIR exercise and directed party workers to actively assist voters facing scrutiny.
Civic officials said the push to speed up certificate issuance gathered momentum 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 CEO’s office is not accepting certificates issued by councillors for 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 at 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 official figures cited by ruling party leaders, over 31.68 lakh voters across the state were not covered in the first phase, while nearly six lakh names were excluded from draft rolls across 11 Kolkata Assembly segments alone.
Civic authorities said detailed guidelines have been circulated to councillors to guide residents on documentation requirements, including Aadhaar cards and rent receipts where applicable.
Municipal officials, however, expect the demand for domicile certificates to remain high as the SIR exercise progresses and more voters appear before election authorities to establish residency credentials.