Death certificates: Family in isolation in Karnataka, who will apply?

Shreyas HS | TNN | Apr 23, 2020, 04:52 IST

Representative image

BELAGAVI: Barely coping with the death of a beloved, families of Covid-19 victims in the state are now struggling to procure a death certificate: many are in quarantine and isolation themselves and cannot apply while others say paperwork is delayed in offices due to the lockdown.
In normal circumstances, deaths must be registered within 21 days. The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, stipulates a fine and intervention of the district magistrate in case of delays. The certificate is mandatory to proceed with insurance and financial transactions besides matters of property inheritance.
Urban development minister Byrathi Basavaraj said no such issue had come up before him. “If any one approaches the government with such a problem, we will resolve it,” he said.
The family of India’s first Covid-19 casualty — a 76-yearold preacher from Kalaburagi who died on March 10 — says they could apply only a week ago. “Properties are registered in his name. Normally, the first thing we do after the funeral is apply for the death certificate. Since the immediate family and most close relatives were in isolation, no one could apply,” said his son. High alert was declared in the district soon after the death and the ward where the victim stayed was declared a containment zone.
The victim’s son is now frantically calling up health and corporation officials to secure the certificate, late as it is already. “I am worried that we will have to wait for the lockdown to lift. We need
the certificate urgently to carry out financial transactions,” he said. The Gulbarga Institute Medical Sciences (GIMS), where the man died, has not issued a certificate which serves as a temporary document, he added. When contacted, GIMS director Kavita Patil refused comment, saying she could not reveal such information.
After being contacted by TOI, Kalaburagi city corporation commissioner Rahul Pandve said he had accessed the GIMS death certificate of the victim and would take the matter ahead. “Though his son said he had applied a week ago, the application has not reached us. I have spoken to him and asked him to apply directly at the office. We will ensure the certificate is issued at the earliest,” Pandve said. “In general, there will be no delay in issuing death certificates,” he added, pointing out that daily requests had slumped by about 50% during the lockdown.
The situation is similar for the family of an 80-year-old woman who died in Gadag on April 9. “All close family members are in isolation. How can we apply for the death certificate?” said a family member. He pointed out that when his father died, the local authorities had contacted him to register the death but not this time. “I think we have to wait for the lockdown to ease for the system to resume,” he said, resignedly.
In Belagavi, a victim’s family from Hirebagewadi village — which is a cluster infection — hopes some exception will be made for them. The 80-year-old woman died on April 15. Village accountant Anil Kumar said he was preparing documents to generate the death certificate. “None of the family members turned up to apply as they are all under isolation. Hence, we have initiated the process, treating the case as an exception,” he said.