Special counter to issue passport depending on the emergency: RPO

Are you one of those who applied for a passport but did not receive it? And you need it urgently now!

No need to despair. The Regional Passport Office (RPO) has made arrangements to help people get passports in a day or two if they prove the emergency.

“Many students require the passport to take some exams. Some need it to get employment letters. Such candidates can approach the emergency enquiry counter where depending on the emergency, passports would be issued”, said K. Srikar Reddy, Regional Passport Officer.

Accepting that there is huge pendency of passport applications, Dr. Reddy maintains that the RPO staff are voluntarily working extra time to clear the pending files.

“Currently, we receive around 40,000 applications in a month and our effort is to clear around 60,000 passports in a month. This way we plan to clear all the pending applications in two or three months”, Dr. Reddy explained.

To clear the backlogs, printing of passports is done in two shifts now and last week alone more than 15,000 passports have been printed.

To speed up the process of application submission, the RPO has hired the services of 30 data entry operators.

Applications at eSeva

The RPO would like the general applicants to use the eSeva facility centres or post offices to submit their applications.

Only those applying for passports under Tatkal scheme need to come to the passport office after submitting the application online.

With extra staff manning the counters, it is being ensured that the tatkal applications are accepted and processed in a day or two.

This is made possible, as passport applications are accepted till evening unlike earlier times.

No more queues

The earlier system of obtaining tokens for submission of forms was dispensed with thereby obviating the need for people to queue up at the RPO from midnight onwards.

Dr. Reddy assures that the issue of additional booklets, inclusion or deletion of spouse name, ECNR stamping which form part of miscellaneous services would be done with in a day as new systems have been put in place.

Mail your grievances

He maintains that all grievances sent to his office by email (rpo.hydeabad@mea.gov.in) or through representations would be looked into and replied compulsorily.