Passport seekers bogged down by time constraints
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The struggle to get appointments to submit passport application continues with the appointment slots closing within 30 seconds of opening online despite three passport seva kendras (PSKs) functioning in the city.
“Our plight gets aggravated when the staff at the PSKs ask us for more documents but do not give enough time,” applicants complained. “I was denied a visa as the photograph in my passport was not clear. So when I went back to the PSK, they made me follow the whole procedure again and pay the prescribed re-issue fee of `1,000,” said an applicant.
“However, when I reached the counter of the passport office official, I was informed that they had made the mistake and so I need not have paid that money again,” said the applicant who fought in vain to get back the money. Many applicants complained that the officials at the counter give them very little time to submit any additional document.
“I went to the PSK at Saligramam on Friday and gave my bank account as address proof. They wanted me to get a seal on the account statement but gave me only 30 minutes, failing which I would have to start from step one all over again. How can I go to Mount Road or Teynampet branch and get back within half-an-hour in today’s traffic?” asked an applicant.
Regional passport officer (RPO) C. Senthil Pandian said that these complaints could not be generalised.
“If people face a problem they can contact us at Shastri Bhavan. We will look into the complaints and ascertain the cause of the problem and provide solutions,” he said.
The teething issues at the PSKs are being taken care of by holding meetings with the citizen service managers and the assistant passport officers every two weeks, he said.
Pandian noted that if applicants are facing a problem in getting appointment slots, they could contact him with the application reference number form after generating an ARN for assistance.
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