21 June,2012 07:51 AM IST | | Priyankka Deshpande
u00a0Apart from manpower shortage, rude staff behaviour, numerous agents and applicants being harassed and compelled to repeatedly visit the CitizenFacilitation Centre (CFC) in the Collector Office, anyone wishing to collect domicile and non-creamy layer certificates also face a nightmare.
Lengthy issue: Applicants at the Citizen Facilitation Centre
The admission process has already begun at various colleges in the city and students are yet to get the necessary certificates because of the lack of coordination between the staff at the centre. Parents fear that the delay could hamper their children's chances of getting admission for preferred courses.
The board displayed on the premise of the Collectors Office states that caste and non-creamy layer certificates would be available to applicants in three days. Tehsildar Ranjit Bhosale, who looks after the centre, claims the manpower crunch is responsible for delays in the process. u00a0
A board at the CFC says the process for caste and non-creamy-layer certificates will be completed within three days. PICs/Priyankka Deshpande
Kajal Rangwani, who waited an entire day to get errors rectified in her domicile certificate, said she was concerned that she would not get admission for the medical course because of the delay. u00a0"They (CFC official) had taken several days to give me the domicile certificate. After I received it, I was shocked to see that my name was spelled incorrectly. There are also errors in the birth date and I have to visit the centre repeatedly for rectification," Rangwani said.u00a0
Bapurao Pawar, who has passed Std XII, has been regularly visiting the centre for non-creamy layer certificate. He said he is seeking admission for an engineering course and has been informed by the respective college officials that it would cost Rs 75,000. "As I am from a financially weak family, it is necessary for me to provide the non-creamy layer certificate at the college to avail a concession. Although I have enclosed my income certificate with the application, the officials here are delaying the process," Pawar said.
Long queues, annoyed applicants and unhygienic setting are common sight at the CFC. Notices on the walls of the centre inform applicants to only approach lawyers to get these certificates, and not through agents. Such agents continue to loiter on the premise of the centre unchallenged.
One such agent when approached offered to get non-creamy layer certificate for Rs 1,000. When questioned about the amount, the agent said that she usually charged Rs 5,000 for the same certificate. u00a0Pratibha Bhavsar, who attempted to get non-creamy layer certificate for her son without the assistance of an agent, did not fare very well.u00a0
"I have been visiting the centre since the past one and a half month for non-creamy layer certificate to get admission for my son in a computer science course. I didn't approach any agent and fulfilled all the procedures required to apply for the certificate," Bhavsar said. u00a0She claims to have submitted all necessary documents including a caste certificate, but is yet to receive the certificate. u00a0
The other side
Tehsildar Ranjit Bhosale said that the centre receives 2,500 applications on a daily basis, but they (officials) were able to issue only 545 certificates. "We have already demanded extra staff, but that demand has been pending since the past few months. People should cooperate with us and try to understand our limitation due to the manpower shortage," Bhosale said.u00a0
