Online certificates for business: BMC will now send you OTP

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will now introduce one-time password (OTP) facility — for registered mobile numbers and email ids of applicants applying for online certificates for establishments— in order to avoid misuse of the ease of doing business initiative.

The move comes months after fake certificates were issued, using forged documents, for ladies bar and restaurant in the name of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and then municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta in March. The BMC was criticised for overseeing loopholes of its system in order to improve its ease of doing business ranking.

A senior civic official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Earlier, the applicant had to mention basic details like name, address, nature of the business, pan, number of employees and email address. There was less scope of tracking the applicants in case of mischief. However, mobile numbers and email-ids will help us to ensure more security while issuing online certificates. The work is going on warfooting and will soon be made available on the system.”

In March, under its ease of doing business initiative, the civic body had started issuing an instant online certificate to applicants applying for a licence.

The online system issued these certificates without verifying the details and documents to be submitted.

The BMC realised the importance of ensuring security through OTP system after the false certificate case was highlighted in March.

The civic body had lodged a complaint against unknown persons for obtaining a certificate using details of the CM and civic chief through forged documents.