Regional passport office vows to bring down pending application to zero in next 15 days
C Shivakumar/ ENS
Chennai:
If your passport is delayed, don’t press the panic button. The city’s
regional passport office is running short of passport booklets.
As queries are mounting regarding the status of passport, officials at
the regional passport office state that ministry of external affairs
have assured improvement in the stock of blank passport booklets.
But then the applicants have been worried over the delay in issuing
the passports.
As per figures available from Ministry of External Affairs till
February 21,2014, Chennai regional passport had 14, 515 pending
applications seeking passport.
A source in the passport office said that supply of passport books
have resumed and regional passport office here would bring down the
pending application to zero within the next 15 days.
The booklets are produced and supplied by India Security Press in
Nashik. The production had stopped in January because the import of
laminated sheets needed for a few pages dried up.
As a result the issue of passport booklets across India has dried up.
“Since the printing has started, we hope to reduce the pendency of
applications to zero in next 15 days,” a source told Express.
Interestingly, many passport applicants unaware of the issue have been
frequenting the passport office to know the status of their
application.
David Arokiya Durai, an officer with Chennai Corporation, says he has
been frequenting the regional passport office many times to get a
passport for his wife so that she could visit the piligrimage sites in
Jerusalem, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan.
“The only reply is that they are running short of passport books. My
wife is a government official and she comes under the special
category. As per norms, I should be getting it within two days,” he
says.
But officials say that they are giving special consideration to
applicants on priority basis. “The Ministry of External Affairs should
look into the issue. The delay in issuing passports would affect the
livelihood of people. Many are worried their work permit visas would
expire before they get their passports,” an applicant on anonymity
said.
C Shivakumar/ ENS
Chennai:
If your passport is delayed, don’t press the panic button. The city’s
regional passport office is running short of passport booklets.
As queries are mounting regarding the status of passport, officials at
the regional passport office state that ministry of external affairs
have assured improvement in the stock of blank passport booklets.
But then the applicants have been worried over the delay in issuing
the passports.
As per figures available from Ministry of External Affairs till
February 21,2014, Chennai regional passport had 14, 515 pending
applications seeking passport.
A source in the passport office said that supply of passport books
have resumed and regional passport office here would bring down the
pending application to zero within the next 15 days.
The booklets are produced and supplied by India Security Press in
Nashik. The production had stopped in January because the import of
laminated sheets needed for a few pages dried up.
As a result the issue of passport booklets across India has dried up.
“Since the printing has started, we hope to reduce the pendency of
applications to zero in next 15 days,” a source told Express.
Interestingly, many passport applicants unaware of the issue have been
frequenting the passport office to know the status of their
application.
David Arokiya Durai, an officer with Chennai Corporation, says he has
been frequenting the regional passport office many times to get a
passport for his wife so that she could visit the piligrimage sites in
Jerusalem, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan.
“The only reply is that they are running short of passport books. My
wife is a government official and she comes under the special
category. As per norms, I should be getting it within two days,” he
says.
But officials say that they are giving special consideration to
applicants on priority basis. “The Ministry of External Affairs should
look into the issue. The delay in issuing passports would affect the
livelihood of people. Many are worried their work permit visas would
expire before they get their passports,” an applicant on anonymity
said.
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