HYDERABAD: The Municipal Administration department has issued instructions to municipal commissioners of urban local bodies in state, including Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, to ensure that all marriages performed in their respective ULBs are registered by them. It may be noted that the municipal commissioners are also designated as marriage officers in Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats in the state.
Besides periodical reports, the commissioners have been told to furnish details of marriages registered every month to Director of Municipal Administration office. The services are to be carried out through Citizen Service Centres (CSCs) which are set up in the ULBs.However, municipal commissioners are reportedly unhappy with the additional work. Their claim is that they are already overburdened with monitoring day-to-day civic works, inspections, tax collections and other developmental works in their respective ULBs.
Duties to be dispensed
Municipal Administration officials told Express that a few days ago the DMA had issued a circular to all municipal commissioners for issuance of marriage certificate in the form as provided in the Schedule under his/her hand and seal on the basis of state government order.
While enclosing a copy of the GO, the municipal commissioners have been instructed to ensure that a memorandum should be signed by bride and bridegroom and two witnesses each on the side of bride and bridegroom before the marriage officer. Further, the marriage officer has to maintain a Register of Marriages in the form as provided in the Schedules and enter in the Register all the information supplied to them in the memorandum and obtain signatures of the bride and bridegroom and the witnesses.
Commissioners have no idea about the Act
Department for Women, Children, Disabled, Senior Citizens on December 31, 2014 appointed the municipal commissioner as marriage officers. They are reportedly not aware of the Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2002. Even during a consultation workshop conducted last month, it was found that they had no idea about the Act.