IT helps speed up work at Registrar General's Dept

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Registrar General E.M. Gunasekara

The Registrar General's Department, located at Battaramulla, one of the most important Departments in the country that caters for 20 million population from their birth to death, has initiated a program to computerise their administrative network to extend a quick and better service to the people.

Registrar General, E.M. Gunasekara told the Sunday Observer that in addition to this program, the Department also expects to conduct mobile services in the main districts to help the people obtain their birth and marriage certificates without any delay.

"We have deployed over 1500 registrars in all divisions to provide a better service not only at their respective divisions, but also in main hospitals to enable to register the births and deaths".

The Registrar General said the Department had conducted a two-day mobile service in the Jaffna Peninsula on June 29 and 30 for the benefit of the people who returned to their homes last year after the NE conflict.

He said, during those two days people submitted over 9000 applications pertaining to unregistered births and deaths and a large number of cases were settled by issuing original certificates.

"We also received nearly 600 cases of unregistered deaths with all details of deceased persons and it helped take prompt action to issue relevant certificates,".

Registrar General, Gunasekara said, the mobile service program is very successful and expected to conduct more mobile services in Mannar, Jaffna and Mulative for residents who returned to their homes after the conflict.

He said, the Department has also decided to conduct mobile services in the plantation sector as many persons at plantation areas have still not obtained either the birth or the death certificates due to not knowing the importance of such document.

The Registarr General also said many people who were affected by the tsunami in the coastal areas have still not obtained their lost birth or death certificates and therefore the Department has decided to establish permanent offices to enable a large number of persons to receive their birth and death certificates.

When asked how to apply for a new birth certificate, the Registrar General said to receive the certificate one should go to the nearby Divisional Secretariat for a copy.

When asked about the long delay in registering title deeds, the Registrar General said that 42 Department offices were being set up at every Divisional Secretariat under the purview of an Additional District Registrar.

"Unlike in the past, steps have been taken to register the title deeds within a period of three days,".

"It took nearly two months to register title deeds in the past, but with the expansion of the system, registered title deeds could be received less than three days in future,".

He said, even at present, the title deeds are registered within a day in Matale, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Kuliyapitiya Registrar General's offices.

When asked how to become a registrar, Gunasekara said, area registrars are appointed after a Government Gazette notification and any Sri Lankan citizen who is between the age of 21-60 could apply for the post. He or she should have pass the GCE (OL) examination and also have an unblemished character and an excellent personality.