The state’s urban development minister, Firhad Hakim, on Friday said that he will instruct all municipal bodies across Bengal to create facilities ensuring people can obtain birth and death certificates efficiently.

The move follows Hakim’s earlier instruction, as Calcutta mayor, to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to increase the number of application slots for these certificates. Since Monday, the KMC has been receiving close to 300 applications daily, up from the earlier 150 slots per day. After Hakim’s intervention, the number of slots was increased to 240, with an additional 60 applications accepted from walk-in applicants without online appointments.

“I will ask municipalities and other municipal corporations to create systems so that people get the birth and death certificates...,” Hakim said.

While families can download certificates for newborns or recent deaths from the Janma Mrityu Tathya portal, older documents or corrections still require submission through municipal bodies.

The instruction comes amid the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The demand for certificates is likely to surge ahead of voter list verification hearings scheduled between December 9 and January 31.