The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued 12,823 certificates between August 9 and December 9, according to data released by the civic body during the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls.

“The civic body issued a total of 12,823 certificates to residents across the city during this period,” said an official.

The volume of “late-entry” applications — for births or deaths registered decades ago — has strained archival and verification systems. The sharp rise in applications for these certificates is linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, with thousands of residents seeking documents as proof of identity and residence for verification hearings.

Of the total certificates issued, 9,617 were birth certificates and 3,206 death certificates.

The data also reflects the impact of decentralisation. Nearly 2,000 certificates were issued directly by the KMC headquarters, while 8,291 birth and 2,505 death certificates were processed through borough offices.

Births or deaths occurring within one year are handled by borough offices, while cases older than a year require verification at the headquarters.

In response to complaints about difficulties in securing application slots, Mayor Firhad Hakim recently directed the health wing to increase capacity. The slot limit has been raised from 150 to between 500 and 1,000 per day.

To manage the surge, the KMC has also introduced chatbot-based appointments via WhatsApp (8335999111) and set up dedicated counters at the S N Banerjee Road headquarters for manual submissions and immediate verification.

“Headquarters now assist with manual submissions and immediate document verification. Employees from other municipal departments have been temporarily deputed to the health wing to manage the heavy footfall,” an official said.