Shimla Municipal Corporation digitises birth and death records from 1870 to 2015

Shimla: The birth and death certificates of Shimla, the erstwhile summer capital of British India, has been made online by the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) and certificates can be obtained on a nominal payment, said Mayor Surinder Chauhan on Saturday.

The birth and death department of the SMC has been made online and the record of birth and death of about six lakh people from 1870 to May 2015 is available on the website, Chauhan told PTI.

The mayor said that this move would be of great relief for people, as they would not be required to come to Shimla, saving time and money and get the certificates online on a nominal payment.

A large number of Britishers, whose ancestors lived in Shimla, are occasionally coming here for getting birth and death certificates and even cemetery and birth places, but they can now get the documents online on minimum charges and a provision has also been made for correction of names and places etc., he added.

Chauhan further said that in addition, Bengalis and people from Shimla who have settled in other states are also approaching the SMC for these documents.

He added that 73,940 death and 2,48,000 birth certificates are on record.