The civic body has set itself a week’s deadline to issue a mutation certificate and has also simplified the process of applying for it.

A person seeking to register a landed property in his name need no longer produce an heirship certificate from a first class executive or judicial magistrate.

“An affidavit from the notary public will do,” said a Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) official.

In another relaxation of rules, the civic body has exempted legal heirs applying for mutation from submitting a “No Due” certificate from the revenue department.

The new rules, including the deadline, have been stated in the citizens’ charter of the revenue department, which was released on Saturday following ratification by the mayoral council.

The CMC has been releasing the citizens’ charter of each of its department, wherein it states the services on offer and the deadline for delivering them. A violation of the charter will attract a token fine, to be paid by the official concerned.

Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay said the CMC had eased the rule that photocopies submitted by the citizens have to be attested by gazetted officers only.

“It’s a problem getting all documents attested by gazetted officers. From now, citizens can also submit papers attested by headmasters, managers of nationalised banks, college principals, university teachers and postmasters,” he said.

The civic body has received complaints that some of the developers do not collect completion certificates before selling the flats. The buyers, consequently, face hassles in getting the flats registered in their names. Apportionment of tax, too, becomes difficult, in the absence of completion certificates.

“From now, if the completion certificate is not available, a flat-owner can produce a photocopy of the first meter reading report,” the civic commissioner said.

The 32-point charter of the revenue assessment department has specified deadlines, ranging from a week to six months for various services.

The six-month deadline is for assessing properties in colonies and slums, which involves verification of records of the Calcutta Improvement Trust, Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and and the block land reforms officer.