1 year-stay enough to get residence certificate

BHUBANESWAR: In its bid to make it easy for the landless to get residence certificate, the State Government has decided to change the rules. An order by the Orissa Human Rights Commission (OHRC) prompted the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to modify the norm. Earlier, a person residing in a locality for a period of at least two years was granted residence certificate as per the Orissa Miscellaneous Certificates Rules, 1984. The changed rule has shortened it to a year now.    A notification, issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, said a person residing in a locality for a period of at least a year continuously may be granted residence certificate for that area. The OHRC, in August 2011, had asked the State Government to reduce the qualifying period to one year for grant of residence certificate basing on which the modification in the rule was made. The Department has directed all the tahasildars to dispose of applications of residence certificate within 15 days from the date of receipt.