Power cuts: Hundreds fail to get birth, death certificates

DMA’s electricity supply cut for past six days due to non-payment of bills.

ISLAMABAD:

Forty three-year-old Ahmed Niaz visited the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) on Monday to register the birth of his newborn, only to find that there was no electricity.

Every day, many visitors are seen at the computerised Birth and Death Registration Centre (BDRC) which is adjacent to DMA’s office.

“I was informed that the power supply was disconnected and BDRC’s link to Nadra’s central database is down. They have asked to me come again tomorrow,” Niaz said. DMA’s power supply has been cut by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) owing to non-payment of electricity bills.

DMA Deputy Director Hassan Rizvi confirmed to The Express Tribune that BDRC receives around 180-200 birth registration applications per day, and another 20-30 death registration applications.

Rizvi said DMA’s power supply disruption has been ongoing for six days, with around 1,500 registration seekers suffering due to the issue.

He said BDRC staffers had been directed to come to office on Saturday and Sunday to clear the backlog.

Capital Development Authority Chairman Tahir Shahbaz said there had been some miscommunication between the civic agency and Iesco, due to which the power supply continues to be disconnected.

“CDA had agreed to cover a portion of DMA’s outstanding dues to Iesco on a monthly basis,” he said, before adding that he would look to resolve the matter at the earliest.

Before the launching of BDRC by CDA in October 2012, the civic agency had been maintaining birth and death records manually.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.