Death certificate backlog grows to 7,000 in Kolkata
Times of India | 30 July 2026
Kolkata: Over 7,000 and counting. That is the number of bereaved families who have been denied death certificates after cremating or burying their near and dear ones since Saturday. The pile-up of death certificates at the city’s 15 crematoriums and burial grounds follows a govt decision to suspend the rights of sub-registrars posted at crematoriums and burial grounds to issue death certificates. Consequently, bereaved families are yet to get the crucial govt document. Neither is there any clarity on when or how it will be issued.
Hope was briefly rekindled for the families of the deceased on Tuesday when the civic authorities authorised KMC executive health officials to sign the death certificates. However, these officials are yet to be given the digital rights to process and issue the documents. Morever, KMC health department officials said the executive health officers who have been given the new task are already burdered with several other responsibilities.
“Is it possible for an executive health officer of a borough to shoulder the additional responsibility of becoming a registrar of the birth and death records when assigned to discharge several duties including running the civic healthcare centres, managing anti-dengue drive, looking after immunisation programmes among others?” asked a KMC health department official.
The anger against the civic staff at the crematoriums is on the rise as, after submitting medical death certificates issued by attending doctors and surrendering Aadhaar cards of the deceased, families are getting only a money receipt — a document with no legal value for inheritance, insurance, pension, banking, property transfer or other statutory claims. “Anger is justified. We are trying our best to solve the problem at the earliest. We may need to request the state health department brass to consider giving back the signing power to the crematorium and burial ground-based sub-registrars,” said a KMC health department senior official.
No cremation certificates are being issued either, compounding the problems faced by families from outside Kolkata. Those who cremate a relative in the KMC area but live outside need a cremation certificate before applying for a death certificate from their local civic body. With KMC withholding the document, such families have been left in limbo.