TIRUPPUR: A tribal family from Kuzhipatti in Udumalpet in Tiruppur district allege that they are unable to get a birth certificate for their son for almost five years.
E Jyothi (27) told TNIE, “My husband, Eswarapandi, is a daily wager. We have been farming in the hills near our settlement for several years in order to get extra money. Our second son Sricharan was born in Udumalpet Government hospital in October 2017. As per the doctor’s advice, I stayed in the hospital for over 21 days after his birth. I was discharged in November and we asked for a birth certificate. Local health department officials told us to come back after some time.”
"When my husband went to the hospital for the certificate after a few days, the officials demanded other documents, including residence proof, which we didn’t have. Two months later, some relatives also went to the hospital for a birth certificate. A new official who was posted there told us that he would check the records, but nothing happened" she said.
"We couldn’t visit the hospital regularly, as the distance from the settlement to the hospital is more than 15 km and we have to go through hills. Over a period of time, we almost forgot about the issue and we couldn’t do it later due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Last week, when we went to admit Sricharan to school, the teacher asked for his birth certificate, after which we approached local leaders for help," she added.
The family’s 7-year-old elder son Rajeswaran has a birth certificate.
Tamil Nadu Hill Tribes’ Association (Tiruppur) treasurer N Manikandan said, “I am surprised by the prolonged delay in getting the birth certificate. I don’t know whether this is a deliberate delay or if there is some other issue involved in this matter. Yesterday, I took the parents to a government hospital and made them fill out the applications. I hope the issue will be resolved easily.”
A health department official said, “It is hard to believe that there is such a prolonged delay. We will check the records and the birth certificate will be issued within a few days.