Bangalore: Four Passport Centres in State Including Mangalore Upgraded

Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Apr 30: The union government has upgraded all the 77 Passport Seva Kendras (service centres) opened in the country on an experimental basis during May last,  to enable people to get passport-related services fast, into permanent offices. Addressing a press conference here on Friday April 29, regional transport officer, Dr K J Srinivas informed that the four passport service centres presently functioning in the state i.e., Bangalore (two centres), Hubli and Mangalore, will provide passport services on a full scale henceforth.

“There has been an 88 percent jump in the number of passport applications received during the 11 months since these centres became operational. More passport service centres are likely to be opened in the city, because of pressure of applications. We expect to secure permission for the same in the next phase,” he stated.

Srinivas said that the department has been making all out efforts for the fast disposal of applications, in spite of problems like staff shortage encountered by the department. He said that the department has introduced measures like added working hours and working on Saturdays, for serving the needy, revealing that 32,000 passport applications had been disposed off after these centres were opened in the state.  He noted that lot of time gets wasted at the stage of scrutiny of applications, particularly in the police department, as the police personnel are forced to attend to the additional duty of verifying the addresses of passport applicants.

He added that the process of accepting applications through private agencies has been stopped, as it is observed that fake documents were enclosed to several applications received through Bangalore One centres and private agencies. He said that henceforth, people want to get passport, need to apply through the internet.