KARACHI, June 7: The city government has agreed in principle to allow the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to collect the registration data of births in the city, it has reliably been learnt. At present, the birth registration is being done at the union council level. Now Nadra will train the union council staff to keep the data regarding births in such a way that it is also fed into the Nadra database. There is no fee for the registration; however, the birth certificate (if required) will be issued for Rs50.

Nadra has been sharing the data on birth registrations with the union councils throughout the country, except for Karachi where the city nazim was reported to have been against the idea.

Sources told Dawn that the city nazim had been advised by his legal team that birth certificates fell within the jurisdiction of the union councils.

However the City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, changed his mind after he held a meeting with a Nadra team a few days back. He was shown the agreements signed between Nadra and nazims of other districts, including the Lahore city district government, after which he, in principle, agreed to sign the agreement in a “couple of weeks.”

Responding to Dawn queries, the city nazim said that a new and modern system to register information, including birth registration, would be launched with assistance from Nadra within a week or ten days. He said an announcement in this regard would be made soon.

Answering the question as to why it had not been done in the city earlier, he said that every area had its own dynamics and worked according to its priorities. He said that Nadra had approached the city government a couple of months ago and in the next 10 days the registration programme would start in the city.

The sources said when the City Naib Nazim, Nasreen Jalil, visited Nadra recently, she was also informed about the issue. She asked the Nadra staff to send a proposal to this effect so that it could be discussed in the City Council.

Ms Jalil is the convener of the City Council.

Talking to Dawn, the naib nazim confirmed that she had met the Nadra chairman a few days back and the issue had come up. She said she liked the idea and had asked Nadra to send a proposal to her. She said it would be discussed in the City Council and as the issue pertained to the union councils and the City Council’s approval would be sought.

She said that currently the registration system in the UCs was computerised, but it was not linked up with the Nadra database. But after the agreement with Nadra, a system would be developed so that the registration of births could be streamlined.

Meanwhile, responding to Dawn queries, the Sindh Nadra chief, Brig Raza Qizilbash, said that after a recent meeting between a Nadra team and the city nazim, the nazim said that the centralised, computerised registration in the city would start soon. He said that the naib nazim had also assured that the process would start shortly.