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Passport Office Heads For ‘Reforms’ |
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The sustained campaign by the Times of India on the apathetic and people-unfriendly attitude at the Regional Passport Office, Secunderabad, finally seems to have borne fruit.
The ‘Passport to Nowhere’ series that this newspaper carried for more than a month has jolted it into action with regional passport officer (RPO) B Bala Bhaskar setting the reforms ball rolling on Saturday.
In an attempt to streamline activities at the office, the RPO has announced fixing of deadlines for various services offered and a daily work schedule for passport officials.
Fresh passports will now be issued within 18 to 23 days, tatkal services in four to five days, miscellaneous services like Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR), additional booklet in three days and renewal of passport, new ones in case it is lost or damaged, in five to 10 days.
The lack of deadlines so far had seen applicants literally sweat it out to get a passport. Deadlines were offered only under the tatkal services. The upper limit to get passports issued for regular applicants was 60 days after which they had to knock at the door of the passport adalat to get their grievances redressed.
A flow chart will now set the pace of work as it will set priorities and deadlines for RPO employees to complete their work. The move is supposed to end a work culture based on the whims and fancies of the RPO officials.
Acknowledging the fact that more than 1,200 applicants from different parts of the state came to the office everyday, five e-seva centres of Khairatabad, Musheerabad, S R Nagar, Santhoshnagar and Nallakunta have been roped in to accept applications. While these centres were accepting the applications, they were physically sending them to the RPO where they were registered.
From April 10, Data for applications would be entered at the e-seva centres and transferred to RPO online avoiding delay in registration. The Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) which was so far being issued only to graduates, will also be available to those who have cleared SSC.
All passports are deemed to have ECNR. “We only affix ECR stamp these days,” the passport officer said.
RPO B Bala Bhaskar sought to blame most ills on shortage of staff. He also tried to pass on a part of the blame on passport applicants and the ‘mental state’ of the passport office staff.
“As the waiting applicants become impatient and behave harshly (at the counters), the mental state of our employees gets affected and consequently hampers their efficiency,” he said.
SOURCES:
Times Of India
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