He says no, boss says go!

THE NAGAR SWASTHYA Adhikari says no when the boss wants the birth and death certificates to be issued from zonal offices in public interest.

Then what? The Adhikari gets transferred as zonal officer and is asked to issue certificates! Learn to do it when you can’t, seems to be the message from the boss. “Public interest is supreme and we are here to serve people and not our own interests,” says LMC chief Ram Bodh Maurya.

In fact, getting death and birth certificates from the LMC had become a pain in the neck for the people due to a nexus between vaccinators and LMC employees’ union leaders.

To give some relief to people, the municipal chief ordered last month that the certificates would be issued from the zonal level. But,  Nagar Swasthya Adhikari Dr BBS Rathore says that the certificates cannot be issued from the zonal level because the zonal health officers have no powers to sign the birth and death certificates, as they are not Class I officers.

“For that we will have to change the whole manual and take permission from the Registrar of Birth and Death to designate power to the zonal health officers to issue these certificates,” says Rathore. “I have made my point to the municipal chief. It’s up to him.”

However, the municipal chief is determined to start the process at the zonal level. He has directed Rathore to take charge as zonal health officer zone II, which means a demotion for him.

“ I have sent Dr Rathore to zone II, he will have to look after that work. There is no use of two high-level officers at the LMC office as we have a chief Nagar Swasthya Adhikari posted by the health department. There Dr Rathore can well issue these certificates too,” says Maurya.

On the other side Rathore says, “ I am very senior how can I join at zone II, I will say all the things on a proper platform.”

It may be recalled previous municipal chief VP Singh transferred six staff of birth and death department when he found that the records of last 11 years were incomplete. It was also found that vaccinators were issuing birth and death certificates to the people.

All the records were deliberately not computerised which mislead the common man who comes for the registration of birth and death. Singh found that the staff harassed those coming to collect these certificates. 

He recommended transfer of the six staff members and issued the directed a LMC clerk to take over the charge. But VP Singh was transferred and the Nagar Swasthya Adhikari settled all the matter. According to him vaccinators were the most suited and trained for issuing of the certificates.

Ram Bodh Maurya found the same mistake with the department and has taken a step to bring the things on track.