Mumbai: BMC Crackdown On Bogus Birth Certificates Delays Genuine Corrections; Corporators Seek Ward-Level Powers

Mumbai, July 20, 2026: The crackdown on the bogus birth certificate racket has delayed genuine name corrections, hitting students applying for foreign visas and other citizens requiring corrected documents.

Corporators across party lines raised the issue in the BMC general body meeting on Monday, alleging that innocent applicants are paying the price for the scam.

However, the civic administration clarified that name correction powers were centralised with the Executive Health Officer (EHO) to curb misuse and that it has urged the Central Registrar to restore ward-level powers to expedite genuine cases.

Amid allegations of bogus birth certificates being issued to illegal foreign nationals, BJP corporator Dr Neil Somaiya moved a notice of motion in the BMC general body, demanding a regular audit of the birth registration and certificate issuance system to expose loopholes and prevent further misuse.

Calling for a complete review of registrations, certificate issuance, records and compliance procedures, Somaiya said strict monitoring is essential to safeguard the credibility of civic documents.

Meanwhile, the crackdown has left genuine citizens in distress, with students seeking foreign admissions, visa applicants and those requiring corrections in birth certificates facing months-long delays.

Corporators Raise Citizens' Concerns

Corporators across party lines demanded the immediate restoration of ward-level services and a time-bound mechanism to clear the mounting backlog of birth certificate corrections, warning that genuine citizens are bearing the brunt of the bogus certificate crackdown.

Leader of Opposition Kishori Pednekar questioned the administration over the number of fake certificates detected and said honest applicants had become “collateral damage”. She alleged that students seeking foreign education are losing opportunities as correction requests remain pending.

Congress corporator Ajanta Yadav said citizens are making repeated visits to ward offices for minor spelling corrections, leading to overcrowding and increasing pressure on staff.

Another Congress corporator Karen D'Mello claimed applicants have been waiting for six months to over a year for certificates, with many missing visa deadlines.

Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Ankit Prabhu demanded a temporary online mechanism to provide certificates required for foreign university admissions, while Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Chintaman Nivate sought the restoration of powers to ward-level Medical Health Officers (MHO) for issuing certificates to ease delays.

BMC Explains Delay And Measures

Replying to the debate, Additional Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma said the BMC has detected 19,700 birth certificates lacking supporting documents, which are under scrutiny by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

He added that disciplinary action has been initiated against civic employees and FIRs have been registered in connection with the alleged irregularities.

Sharma said the birth and death registration system was shifted from SAP to the Civil Registration System (CRS) in 2016, but editing facilities became operational only in January 2024. Since then, nearly 90,000 correction requests have been processed.

Defending the decision to centralise correction approvals with the EHO, Sharma said the move was necessary to prevent misuse of the system. However, due to delays faced by genuine applicants, the BMC has approached the Central Registrar seeking permission to restore ward-level editing powers on the CRS portal.

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The civic body is also undertaking a major digitisation drive to scan old birth records, including documents dating back to 1960, to speed up verification. Sharma said corrections related to spelling errors and parents' names are carried out after document verification and digitally recorded on the CRS portal.

He added that the shift to the CRS, staff training and new Central Registrar guidelines contributed to initial delays, but measures are being taken to streamline the process.

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