MUZAFFARABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has ‘unilaterally’ blocked access of local government (LG) institutions in five districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to its civil registration management system since Saturday, causing considerable inconvenience to residents seeking civil registration certificates.

Previously, the LG institutions in all 10 AJK districts – municipal corporations, municipal committees and town committees in urban areas and union councils in rural areas – issued civil registration certificates using an offline system - Civil Registration and Vital Statistics - developed by the AJK Information Technology (IT) Board.

In March 2021, Nadra signed an agreement with the AJK Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) department to issue computerised birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates through AJK’s LG institutions.

The implementation of this agreement began in August 2022 with the introduction of Nadra’s civil registration management system (CRMS) - in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Kotli, Mirpur, and Bhimber districts in the first phase.

Nadra initially demanded a fee of Rs300 per certificate but, after strong objections from AJK LG&RD officials, it was reduced to Rs75 plus tax per certificate, out of the Rs100 fee charged by LG institutions.

According to LG&RD department sources, although LG institutions had been bearing nearly 90pc of the operational costs, they received only 20pc of the fee, with Nadra claiming the lion’s share merely for access to its software.

The department has raised this issue at various forums concerned, including the National Steering Committee, for redress, but to no avail, the sources said.

When contacted LG&RD department’s focal person Raja Zulqarnain told Dawn that by Feb 28, LG institutions owed Nadra Rs 20 million for issuance of more than 200,000 certificates, which was cleared by June 27.

On July 15, the LG&RD department received an invoice of Rs2.2 million from Nadra for the months of March and April and while arrangements were being made to release the funds, Nadra blocked LG institutions’ access to its software, leaving residents in five districts unable to obtain essential certificates, he said.

Services however continue uninterrupted in the remaining five districts—Sudhnoti, Bagh, Haveli, Jhelum Valley, and Neelum Valley—where the LG&RD department uses software developed by the AJK IT Board, he added.

“There is a procedure for withdrawing money from the public exchequer that everyone has to follow. NADRA being itself a public entity should also be aware of it. Blocking access to its software without any intimation is therefore incomprehensible,” the focal person maintained.

The LG&RD department sources, who spoke to Dawn on condition of anonymity, said this was not the only issue with using Nadra’s software for issuance of civil registration certificates.

They alleged that while the March 2021 agreement required Nadra to provide 24/7 service, it had been violating this condition by blocking access on weekends and also after 4pm on weekdays.

Even during office timings, the service frequently experiences downtime without any remedial action from Nadra despite repeated complaints.

On the other hand, frustration among the public was mounting due to the suspension of the vital service. One applicant, Ali Khan, expressed his exasperation, stating, “I’ve been trying to get a birth certificate for my child for a week now, but to no avail.” This suspension by Nadra has caused so much inconvenience. We rely on these services for important documentation, and it’s frustrating to be left in the lurch like this.”

When this correspondent contacted Mr Allauddin, Deputy Director CRMS (operations) at Nadra headquarters in Islamabad, about the suspension, he said he was busy in a meeting and would respond later.

Reminders sent via WhatsApp for a text response to the queries were also ignored.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2024