However, the State government officials with the help of some middle-men were found making mockery of the 5T.
People requiring a birth or death certificate from the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) office in Sambalpur district are caught in a catch-22 situation.
People from different parts of the State visit Burla Hospital in Sambalpur, while they collect the required birth or death certificate from the SMC. However, they have to pay a heavy price to get their required certificates.
On one hand, the people have to tackle the brigade of middle-men right outside the office and on the other hand they have to bear an extremely slow-moving civic authority.
“People have to pay Rs 200 to Rs 500 bribe to get the birth or death certificate. The bribe amount goes up to Rs 1000 in emergency cases, whereas the general price for a birth certificate is anywhere around Rs20," said a person with the condition of anonymity.
“People have to visit the SMC office for weeks after weeks to collect the certificate though there is a provision that the death or birth certificate will be provided within 15 days of the applying day,” he added.
The death certificate is an important document required for many purposes such as widow pensions, insurance cases, property inheritance, bank deposit transfers etc. The timely issuance of certificate will serve the purpose of 5T governance, locals said.
