1. January-March 2012
Standing Committee visits PSKs
Launch of 40th PSK in Jaipur
Role of Travel agents in PSP
National e-Governance Plan
Passport
Patrika
A quarterly bulletin of Passport services in India
External Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna and Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit unveiling the 50th PSK at Herald House, New Delhi
2. EDITORIAL NOTE
Passport Patrika
January - March 2012
The Passport Seva Project, MEA's flagship e-Governance initiative, found
mention in President's Address to the Parliament on 12 March 2012: “My
Government has embarked upon a comprehensive overhaul of the Passport
Passport Patrika is edited and
Issuance System through the mission-mode 'Passport Seva Project' which is
published by Muktesh Pardeshi,
expected to be fully implemented during the current year”. At the end of the first
Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief
Passport Officer on behalf of
Central Passport Organisation,
Ministry of External Affairs,
New Delhi.
quarter of the year, 90% of the project work has been executed. As on 31 March, 70
Passport Seva Kendras (out of planned 77) were made operational/were ready for
operations.
We reached a notable milestone on 23 February 2012 when External Affairs
Minister and Chief Minister of Delhi unveiled the country's 50th PSK at Herald
House, New Delhi for public service. Earlier, the New Year began with the
auspicious launch of the 40th PSK in Jaipur by Chief Minister of Rajasthan and
Minister of State for External Affairs. Befittingly, the event took place on the
Editorial Team:
Muktesh Pardeshi
Sanjiv Aggarwal
sidelines of the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The Ministry of External Affairs has taken a big lead in improving
governance in Passport Offices by focusing on citizen centricity, service
orientation and transparency.
In a Passport Seva Kendra, the Government
decisions, including verification of requisite documents and granting of passports,
Address: CPV Division,
are taken in the presence of citizens. These are innovative measures, which require
Ministry of External Affairs,
good co-operation and understanding by the citizenry. A visit to a PSK at a pre-
Patiala House Annexe,
appointed time is designed to help in reducing malpractices, enhancing
Tilak Marg,
accountability and issuing error-free and secure passports to our citizens. Two
New Delhi-110 001.
Tel: +91-11-23387013
Fax:+91-11-23071370
features on NeGP and the Role of Travel Agents in this issue are intended to provide
better understanding of the philosophy and working of the Passport Seva Project.
The Passport Seva Project is also intended to enhance employees'
productivity by adopting such measures as training, better career progression and
other welfare and motivational measures. As on 31 March 2012, the cadre strength
Website:
http://passportindia.gov.in
E-mail:
passportpatrika@gmail.com
Design and Publishing Partner :
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
of CPO stood at 2,697. During the last two years (April 10- March 12), 14 DPCs
were held, leading to 1,341 fast track promotions at all levels. Many more measures
are in the pipeline in order to make the Central Passport Organization an efficient
and motivated service.
Muktesh Pardeshi
Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief Passport Officer
3. CONTENTS
Editorial Note
·
·
Snippets ..............................................................................................................................
-
·
Haj Mela in Bangalore
Haj Mela in Trichy
Haj Mela in Chennai
Saudi Arabian delegation’s visit to PSK Hyderabad
Passport and Emigration awareness Mela at Thanjavur
President’s Address to the Parliament
Award of outsourcing work relating to Apostille of documents
Important Events ..............................................................................................................
-
4
7
Complete Rollout of PSP in UP
Complete Rollout of PSP in Rajasthan
Rollout of PSP in Bihar
Rollout of PSP in Mumbai, Thane and Nasik
Rollout of PSP in Goa
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs’ visit to Bangalore, Ahmedabad and
Mumbai
·
Cover Story - Launch of 50th PSK at Herald House, New Delhi...........................
10
·
PSP in the Media ...............................................................................................................
12
·
Knowledge Sharing ...........................................................................................................
14
-
National e- Governance Plan
Role of Travel Agents
·
Passport Issuance Figures for 2011.................................................................................
17
·
PSK Directory ...................................................................................................................
18
·
Status Scan ........................................................................................................................
20
·
Voice of the People ............................................................................................................
-
·
Numbers Speak…
Roll-out Status
Citizen Feedback
Citizens Speak…
Employees Corner ............................................................................................................
-
21
22
Appointments & Retirements
Change Management - Interview : RPO Jalandhar
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
3
4. SNIPPETS
Haj Mela in Trichy
Haj Mela in Chennai
A special camp for Haj applicants was
A
organised at Thanjavur PSK on the 24thMarch
2012. In the inaugural function, Sh.
Balamurugan, RPO, Sh. Mohammed Galib
Basha, Manager, Haj Committee of India and
Sh. Jaleel Sultan, Trichy Chief Town Qazi
were present. The Mela was inaugurated by
Sh. K. Baskaran, Collector. A preliminary
verification of the applicants' documents was
done by Haj Committee members. About 170
applications were processed on the day.
special camp for Haj aspirants was
organised at the Chennai Saligramam PSK.
This camp worked on two consecutive
th
st
Saturdays on 24 March and 31 March
2012.
Haj Mela in Bangalore
A
Haj Mela was organized at RPO
th
Bangalore from 16 January 2012 to
th
13 April 2012. A total of 9100 appointments
were dedicated to Haj applicants at the 4 PSKs
in Karnataka; with Lal Bagh PSK catering to
approximately 50% of the Haj appointments,
Marathalli PSK 25% , Hubli PSK 15%
appointments and Mangalore PSK
the
st
remaining 10% . As on 31 March 2012,
approximately 6000 Haj applicants visited the
PSKs, and over 4500 files were processed for
these Haj applicants.
On 24th March , the event was flagged off by
Sh. Senthil Pandian, Chennai RPO, Sh.
Aboobucker, Vice-chairman of the Haj
Committee and Sh. Sylendra Babu, IGP of
North Zone, Tamil Nadu. The Haj Committee
volunteers verified the documents at the
nearby mosque. A total of 210 applications of
th
Chennai residents were processed on 24
March and 680 applications, of those residing
st
in remaining districts, were processed on 31
March 2012.
Saudi Arabian delegation visits PSK
Hyderabad
A Saudi Arabian delegation headed by Dr.
Yousuf Terad Al Saadon, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs for Economic and Cultural
Affairs visited Hyderabad - Begumpet PSK
th
on March 24 2012. RPO Hyderabad, Dr.
Srikar Reddy addressed the 43 member
delegation and explained to them the old and
new systems of Passport issuance. Visitors
appreciated the revolutionary changes in the
issuance of Passports in India.
4
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
5. SNIPPETS
Passport & Emigration awareness Mela at
Thanjavur
President's Address to Parliament
Trichy Passport Office in liaison with the
In her address to the
Protector of Emigrants, Chennai, Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs organised a Passport
and Emigration Awareness Mela at Thanjavur
th
on 10 March 2012. The Mela aimed to create
awareness amongst citizens on the newly
opened Passport Seva Kendras, emigration
rules and procedures.
Joint
session of
Parliament on the
12th March, 2012,
Hon'ble President
Smt. Pratibha
Devisingh Patil
referred to the
ongoing reforms
under the Passport
Seva Project.
Excerpts:
The Mela was inaugurated by Sh. A.
Alexander Mohan IPS, Inspector General of
Police, Central Zone, Trichy in the presence
of Sh. Balamurugan, RPO Trichy. Sh. D. Jai
Sankar, IA & AS, Protector of Emigrants,
Chennai was the Guest of Honour. It was
attended by 500 people from 8 districts.
7.Efficient and automated delivery of public
services with minimum human intervention is
one of the keys to reducing corruption. Under
the National e-Governance programme, more
than 97,000 Common Service Centres have
been established across the country for
making public services conveniently
available to citizens. Departments
responsible for Income Tax, Passports,
Central Excise, and Corporate Affairs have
started delivering online services. New eGovernance projects in education, health,
public distribution and postal services will be
launched. The Electronic Services Delivery
Bill has been introduced in the Parliament.
Increasingly, public services under all eGovernance projects will be delivered
through internet and mobile phones.
103.My Government has embarked
upon a comprehensive overhaul of the
Passport issuance system through the
mission-mode "Passport Seva Project"
which is expected to be fully
implemented during the current year.
An Integrated online Visa application
system under the Immigration, Visa
a n d F o re i g n e r s R e g i s t r a t i o n
& Tr a c k i n g s c h e m e i s u n d e r
implementation.
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
5
6. SNIPPETS
Award of outsourcing work relating to Apostille of documents
1. The Ministry of External Affairs has decided to outsource the work of collection / delivery of
documents for attestation to five agencies, namely
(i) M/s IVS Global Services, New Delhi,
(ii) M/s VFS Global South Asia, New Delhi,
(iii) CKGS Cox & King, New Delhi,
(iv)M/s BLS International Services Ltd., New Delhi,
(v) M/s Superb Enterprises,New Delhi,
on a trial basis for a period of 90 days from 01.03.2012.
2. The service fee chargeable per document by these agencies will be Rs. 22/-for personal document,
Rs. 18 for educational document and Rs. 16 for commercial document. The service fee is exclusive of the
Rs. 50/-Postal Order required for Apostille on each document.
3. The address / contact details of collection / delivery center of the five agencies are given below:
I)
M/s IVS Global Service Pvt. Ltd, 119, New Delhi House (1 st Floor), 27 Barakhamba Road,
Connaught Place, New Delhi Phone: 011 61608080, fax: 011 43115800. & IVS Global Service Pvt. Ltd.
S.C.O. 83/84, Sector 34 A, Chandigarh, Phone:017261608080.
ii)
M/s VFS Global Services, Attestation -Collection Centre, S-2level (Upper Ground Floor), Block
-E, International Trade rower, Nehru Place, New Delhi -110019.
iii)
Cox & Kings Global Services, GF, Kamal Cinema Commercial Compled, Block A&B,
Safdarjung Enclave, New )elhi -110029, Phone: 011 -26197635, & Cox & Kings Global Service, Indra
Place, H Block Middle Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi -110001, phone: 011 23738811.
iv)
M/s BLS International Services Ltd., 910 Indra Prakash Building, 21 Barakhamba Road, New
Delhi -110001, Phone: )11 -23716531, 23755263, fax: 011-23716531 & BLS International Services
Ltd., SCO 37/38, Sec 17 C, Near Batura Xing, 3rd Floor, Office No.4, Chandigarh, Phone: 09915167321,
fax: 011 23716531.
v)
M/s Superb Enterprises, 100 G, LGF 8A, Milap Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ITO, New
Delhi -110002, Phone : 011 23355999, fax: 01123350999, e-mail: att@superbenterprisesindia.com &
Superb Enterprises, SCO -23, 24 &25, Office No.4, Near Regional Passport Office, Sector 34A,
Chandigarh -160022, Phone: 0172 2601075.
[MEA Press Release ....1st March 2012]
6
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
7. IMPORTANT EVENTS
Complete Rollout of PSP in Uttar Pradesh
Passport Seva Kendras across UP located at Lucknow,
Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Bareilly
were launched in March 2012.
The Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Varanasi PSKs,
under the jurisdiction of RPO, Lucknow, are the
designated facilitation centres for 49 districts of UP.
th
Varanasi PSK was launched on 12 March 2012 and
Lucknow, Kanpur and Gorakhpur PSKs were
operationalised on 13th March 2012. PSKs at Lucknow
Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Varanasi have a total operational
capacity of 77 counters to handle 1300 appointments per
day.
Sh. Muktesh Pardeshi, Joint Secretary(PSP) & Chief Passport Officer and
Sh. J.P.Singh, RPO Lucknow at the operational launch of Lucknow PSK
Sh. Amrendra Kumar Sengar, RPO Ghaziabad at the
operational launch of the Ghaziabad PSK
Sh. K. N. Srivastava, Additional Secretary (FA) launching the Varanasi
PSK
th
On 13 March 2012, Ghaziabad PSK, under the
jurisdiction of Ghaziabad RPO, was launched by Sh.
Amrendra Kumar Sengar, RPO Ghaziabad in the
presence of Sh. A.K. Sobti , Director (PSP). The PSK
has an overall capacity to serve around 1000 citizens
daily with a 43 counters (29 Service Provider and 14
Government counters).
Sh. Sitaram Yadav, RPO Bareilly and staff members
launching the Bareilly PSK
th
On 13 March 2012, Bareilly PSK, under the jurisdiction of Bareilly RPO, was made operational by Sh.
Sitaram Yadav, RPO Bareilly in the presence of Sh. Sanjiv Aggarwal, Under Secretary. This PSK caters to
13 districts falling under the jurisdiction of Bareilly RPO. The PSK has an overall capacity to serve around
500 citizens daily with 23 counters ( 15 Service Provider and 8 Government counters).
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
7
8. IMPORTANT EVENTS
Complete Rollout of PSP in Rajasthan
C
oinciding with the “Pravasi Bhartiya
Divas” in Jaipur, PSK Jaipur was inaugurated
th
on 7 January 2012 in the presence of Sh. E.
Ahamed, MOS (EA), Sh. Ashok Gehlot,
Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sh. Ranjan
Mathai, Foreign Secretary and other
dignitaries . PSKs at Jodhpur and Sikar were
operationalised later on March 7th 2012.
Sh. E. Ahamed, MOS(EA) and Sh. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, during the
inauguration of Jaipur PSK
Jaipur PSK has an overall capacity of 40
counters to serve around 500 citizens daily
across 16 districts. Sikar has capacity of 26
counters to process 450 applications across
11 districts. Jodhpur has 19 counters with
capacity to process 350 applications across
6 districts.
Rollout of PSP in Bihar
Patna PSK was unveiled on 7 February
th
Sh. Ranjan Mathai, Foreign Secretary speaking during the inauguration of Jaipur
PSK
2012 by Sh. Muktesh Pardeshi, Joint
Secretary (PSP) & Chief Passport Officer.
Patna PSK caters to 38 districts of Bihar and
can handle volumes to the tune of 800 to 900
applications per day.
Rollout of PSP in Mumbai, Thane and Nashik
Four PSKs across Maharashtra , including 2 PSKs in
Mumbai (Malad, Andheri), Thane and Nasik were
launched in the presence of Sh. Muktesh Pardeshi , Joint
th
Secretary(PSP) and CPO on the 20 March 2012. The
launch event was held at Malad PSK. The overall
operational capacity of Maharashtra PSKs would be over
3000 applications per day. Mumbai PSKs have 70
counters. Thane and Nashik PSKs have 38 counters .
Sh. Muktesh Pardeshi, Joint Secretary(PSP) & Chief Passport Officer and
Sh. VinoyK. Choubey, RPO Mumbai at PSK Malad
Rollout of PSP in Goa
Panaji PSK was made operational on March 19
districts of Goa .
8
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
th
2012. PSK has 7 processing counters covering all
9. IMPORTANT EVENTS
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs’ visit to
Bangalore / Ahmedabad / Mumbai
The Standing Committee on External Affairs is one of the 24 Departmentally related Standing
Committee(DRSCs), which has been constituted to examine matters pertaining to the Ministry of
External Affairs and the institutions/organisations falling under its purview. The Committee consists of
31 members out of which 21 members are nominated by the Hon'ble Speaker from amongst the
members of lower house(Lok Sabha) and 10 members are nominated by Chairman, Rajya Sabha
amongst the members of the upper house(Rajya Sabha).
Bangalore
On
st
1 March 2012, Parliamentary
Standing Committee on External Affairs, led by
Sh. Ananth Kumar, visited PSK Lal Bagh,
Bangalore. The Committee reviewed PSK
operations and expressed satisfaction at the
progress made by PSP over the last one year.
Parliamentary Standing Committee during the Process Walkthrough at PSK Bangalore
Mumbai
On 2
Parliamentary Standing Committee members at PSK Mumbai- Malad
nd
March 2012, the Committee
visited the PSK Malad, Mumbai. The
delegates were given an end-to-end
walkthrough of the PSK process from token
issuance through Stages A-B-C upto exit.
They expressed satisfaction at the seamless
flow of applicants with provision of special
facilities especially for the disabled.
Ahmedabad
On
March 5th 2012, the Committee
visited the Ahmedabad PSK 2 (Vijay Cross Road).
They reviewed the PSK operations in terms of
services to the citizens and took real time
feedback of applicants.
Parliamentary Standing Committee interacting with citizens at PSK Ahmedabad
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
9
10. COVER STORY
Launch of 50th PSK at Delhi – Herald House
On 23
rd
February 2012, the Herald House PSK, under the jurisdiction of RPO Delhi, was inaugurated.
This was the 50th PSK to commence operations. The PSK was inaugurated by Sh. S. M. Krishna, EAM
in the presence of Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, NCT of Delhi, Smt. Preneet Kaur,Minister of
State, for External Affairs and Members of Parliament. The ceremony was also attended by other
dignitaries - Sh. Ranjan Mathai, Foreign Secretary, Sh. B K Gupta, Additional Secretary, MEA, Sh. N
Chandrasekaran, TCS CEO and MD, and Sh. Muktesh Pardeshi, Joint Secretary(PSP) & CPO. The
PSK is situated at the heritage Herald House Building at ITO Delhi. The PSK has an overall capacity to
serve around 1000 citizens daily with 48 counters (32 Service provider and 16 Government counters).
With this, the combined capacity of the Delhi PSKs has increased to 58 service provider counters with an
ability to serve more than 1500 citizens daily. The other two PSKs at Shalimar Place and Gurgaon were
launched in August 2011.
Excerpts from External Affairs Minister’s Speech
“The swanky Passport Seva Kendra will provide services on par with best practices worldwide. This
is an important milestone. The setting up of Passport Seva Kendras is part of government's
commitment to deliver passport services to the citizens in an efficient way,”
External Affairs Minister, Sh. S.M Krishna speaking during the inauguration of the 50th PSK at Herald House, New Delhi
10
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
11. COVER STORY
Ribbon cutting ceremony at Herald House PSK
Lamp lighting ceremony
Dignitaries looking at Passport Seva map
Sh. B.K. Gupta,Additional Secretary, MEA welcoming the dignitaries
during the inauguration ceremony
A View of Citizen Service Counters
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
11
14. KNOWLEDGE SHARING
National e-Governance Plan
e-
Governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization of Government Departments to
initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as citizen centricity, service orientation and
transparency. Lessons from previous e-Governance initiatives have played an important role in shaping the
progressive e-Governance strategy of the country. Due cognizance has been taken of the notion that to
speed up e-Governance implementation across the various arms of Government at National, State, and
Local levels, a programme approach needs to be adopted, guided by common vision and strategy. This
approach has the potential of enabling huge savings in costs through sharing of core and support
infrastructure, enabling interoperability through standards, and of presenting a seamless view of
Government to citizens.
The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the
country, integrating them into a collective vision, a shared cause. Around this idea, a massive countrywide
infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is evolving, and large-scale digitization of records
is taking place to enable easy, reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective is to bring public
services closer home to citizens, as articulated in the Vision Statement of NeGP:
"Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common
service delivery outlets, and ensure efficiency, transparency, and reliability of such services at
affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man”
The Government approved the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), comprising of 27 Mission Mode
Projects (MMPs) and 8 components, on May 18, 2006.
Mission Mode Projects
NeGP comprises of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) encompassing 10 Central MMPs, 10 State MMPs
and 7 Integrated MMPs spanning multiple Ministries/ Departments. "Mission Mode" implies that the
objective and the scope of the project are clearly defined, that the project has measurable outcomes and
service-levels, and the project has well-defined milestones and timelines for implementation.
Central MMPs
Banking
Central Excise & Customs
IncomeTax (IT)
·Insurance
MCA21
National Citizen Database
Passport
Immigration, Visa and Foreigners
14
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
State MMPs
Agriculture
CommercialTaxes
e−District
Employment
Exchange
Land Records
Municipalities
Gram Panchayats
Integrated MMPs
CSC
e-Biz
e-Courts
e-Procurement
EDI for eTrade
National e-governance Service
Delivery Gateway
India Portal
15. ROLE OF TRAVEL AGENTS IN PASSPORT SEVA
Under the old system, registered travel agents were free to deposit passport application forms in
the Passport Offices like any other individual, but with authorization letter from the applicant subject to
certain guidelines. A travel agency's role was, thus limited to mere deposit of a limited number of
application forms in the Passport Office on behalf of applicants, insofar as fresh and reissue of passports
were concerned. To facilitate submission of applications, registered travel agencies were given a login ID
under the old scheme which existed before the launch of the Passport Seva Project (PSP). With the launch
of PSP, a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), the login IDs are no
longer usable. The earlier scheme was based on a system developed by National Informatics
Centre(NIC). The systems and procedures under the PSP are vastly different .
Under Passport Act 1967, there is no provision for 'recognition of travel agencies. The orders for
registration of travel agents and recognition of travel agents were to afford an alternative to citizens
regulated by administrative orders only. These orders have no statutory status and thus liable to be
amended, modified or withdrawn as per policy of the Government from time to time. Passport issuance is
a sovereign function of the Govt under the Passport Act 1967 and the Govt is free to frame new policies
and to evolve new procedures as per demands of the time in public interest. Accordingly to fulfill NeGP
objectives, Ministry of External Affairs has taken a policy decision to introduce and implement PSP.
However, as per Ministry's circular dated November 04, 2010, 'an applicant who has difficulty in filling
up/ On-line filling up of passport application and status enquiry of application may seek assistance from
travel agents in the new Passport Seva Project. Therefore, Travel agents may still play role to that extent
in the Passport Seva Project. However, each applicant has to come to the Passport Seva Kendra for
submission of application, fingerprint and digitization of photograph requirements and the Travel agents
will have no role in that process.'
It is also to be added that the benefit of login ID in the old scheme was enjoyed only by the
registered travel agencies who were so allowed, but there are hundreds and thousands of travel agents
across India who are not registered with Passport Offices. Under the PSP, Ministry has taken a decision
not to discriminate between travel agents, and therefore, taken a universal view that all travel agents
would play a role to assist an applicant who has difficulty in filling up/online filling up of passport
application and status enquiry of applicant, for which no accreditation is required from the respective
Passport Offices or Ministry of External Affairs. In fact, the role of travel agencies stands liberalized
without discrimination under the PSP. It is up to the individual to approach an agency or not, whether
registered or otherwise. Personal appearance of the applicant, finger print and digital photograph
measures are required in the interest of national security. Government has been receiving many appeals
from applicants who at the behest of unscrupulous elements indulged in passport forgery, obtaining
multiple passports by suppression of facts and with wrong names and particulars. Majority of these
appellants informed the Government that they were misguided and helped by travel agencies in their
dubious acts.
The allegation made by travel agents in various fora and petitions filed in several courts in the
country that the Ministry's action in implementing PSP is illegal, arbitrary, irrational, unjust, capricious
and unsustainable is entirely baseless and made without going into facts and merits of the Govt policy to
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
15
16. ROLE OF TRAVEL AGENTS IN PASSPORT SEVA
revamp passport issuance system as a whole. There is no 'derecognition' of travel agents as they are still
free to assist the applicants as mentioned above. It is entirely up to the applicant whether he/she applies
for passport services online on his/her own or through any internet cafe or through any other person
capable of applying online or through any travel agent. The field for the applicant is now wider.
The stand taken by the Ministry in implementation of PSP in partnership with M/s TCS has been
upheld by various High Courts as follows :
(i) A CWP No. 12580/2009 had been filed by Travel Agents Association of Northern India High Court of
the States of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh against the Union of India and TCS, pleading continued
submission of passport applications as in the old system. The petition was dismissed by the High Court
vide judgment dated 24th August 2010.
(ii) Reference cases filed by Travel Agents in Tamil Nadu in Madras High Court vide petitions no.
21787, 21788. 21715 of 2011 and no. 7507, 7676 and 9691 of 2011 and Misc. Petition No. 1/2011
pleading for right to accompany the passport applicants to Passport Seva Kendras for submission of
passport applications and remain with them throughout for the purpose of obtaining passport. The
petitions were dismissed by the Court, in the combined judgment dated 8-12-2011 .
(iii) In the Special Civil Application No. 917& 919/2012 filed by Association of Recognised Passport
Agents (ARPA) of Gujarat, in the Gujarat High Court, Ahmedabad, the petitioners prayed for :
(a) restoration of status quo ante and continuance of submission of passport applications by travel agents,
(b) access to the new system through log-in, (c) special counters for travel agents in the PSKs/RPO and
(d) stay on the implementation of PSP.
The Hon'ble Court held that:
(i) the contention that the Passport Seva Kendras are run by private parties is misconceived.
(ii) the overriding reason of public policy is writ large on the face of the policy itself which is made in the
public interest and in the interest of national security. Thus, where the state action is as a public policy or is
in public interest, unless the action taken amounts to an abuse of power, the concept of legitimate
expectation on which the ARPA appeared to base its case, would have no role to play.
(iii) the policy cannot be said to be capricious nor can it be clearly held to be arbitrary and founded on
mere ipse dixit of the executive functionaries nor does the same offend other constitutional provisions or
come into conflict with any statutory provisions.
The Court dismissed the petition though it permitted the ARPA to make a representation to the
Ministry to consider whether it could play a role in the new policy instructing inter alia that the same shall
be considered by the Ministry sympathetically and expeditiously. Subject to the aforesaid, the petitions
fail and are accordingly dismissed. The interim relief granted earlier shall stand vacated.
16
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
18. 18
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
COIMBATORE
THANJAVUR
AHMEDABAD
KOLKATA
HYDERABAD
JALANDHAR
AMRITSAR
CHENNAI
DELHI
Khushman Shah
Jyostana M Kauangal
AHMEDABAD-2
Leena Dave
VADODARA
Nitaben K Shah
AHMEDABAD-1
Anita Shukla
Satya Ranjan Das
Goutam De
KOLKATA
BERHAMPORE
S Polaiah
Syed Ali Sabeer
TIRUPATHI
VIJAYAWADA
Dr. R Siva Kumar
M.S.Reddy
NIZAMABAD
B.Prameela Kumari
Rama Prabhakar Reddy
HYDERABAD-2
HYDERABAD-3
Dr.K.Srikar Reddy
A.T.Murthy
HYDERABAD-1
Neelam Goel
Gurjeet Singh
Atanu Mazumdar
K Savithri
P Gajendran
Meera Bai
Pushpa Nijhawan
R D Sharma
Ghanshyam Kansra
A.K Sapra
Parneet Singh
J.S. Sodhi
Senthil Pandian ( IAS )
Anurag Bhushan
Shri Herman Lakra
N Kumar
Ponnaiyan
JALANDHAR-2
JALANDHAR-1
HOSHIARPUR
GURGAON
CHENNAI-1
CHENNAI-2
CHENNAI-3
AMRITSAR
DELHI-SHALIMAR PLC
DELHI-HERALD HOUSE
V.S.D.L Surendra
S. Sasikumar
K. Balamurugan
S.Vijayalakshmi
Gowri Balakrishnan
Vishak Sharma
Jose K. Mathew
Anil Grover
MADURAI
TIRUNELVELI
TRICHY
M.S.Jaswal
LUDHIANA
Rakesh Aggarwal
Veena Khanna
CHANDIGARH
AMBALA
V K Babad
MANGALORE
RAJKOT
211100
210100
209110
208100
125120
125100
219100
248100
218100
415100
216100
214100
110111
309100
111101
107110
220101
221100
222111
108111
102110
101110
442100
244111
237100
245100
246100
236100
131101
106100
104101
226101
247100
224100
R.R.Chitnis
VOIP NO.
223101
APO NAME
Sattar Sharief
HUBLI
Dr.K.J.Shrinivasa
RPO NAME
Jayaprakash K
PSK
BANGALORE - LAL
BAGH
BANGALORE - SAI
ARCADE
VISAKHAPATNA
VISAKHAPATNAM
M
COIMBATORE
TRICHY
MADURAI
CHANDIGARH
BANGALORE
RPO
0281 2368003
-
079-27912512
079-26463267
03482-274324
033- 24432113
0877-2255115
0866-2481964
08462-243102
040-23740072
040-23562033/44
040-27902201/2
0181-2236800
0181-2236700
01882-251211
0124 2340164
044 23652577
044-23735313
044-22260185
0183-2400125
011-27492313
011-23765642
0891 2529555
0422 2627133
04362 245877
0452 2387776
0462-2353342
0431 2766255
0171 2540082
0161-2426102
0172 2639583
0824 2411842
0836 2358740
080-64909958
080-22117700
DIRECT PHONE NO.
FAX NO.
PSK ADDRESS
Botcha Square, No 39-6-71, Kapparada Village, Opposite Birla Junction, Murali Nagar,
Visakhapatnam- 530007
Ground & First Floor, Herald House, 5A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002
Aggarwal Auto mall, Plot No. 2 District Center, Outer Ring Road, Shalimar Place, Delhi88
MM Tower, Plot No. 8 & 9, Phase 4, Ugyog Vihar, Gurgaon
No.1, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna Road, Saligramam, Chennai 600 093
Navins Presidium, No. 103, Nelson Manickam Road, Aminjikarai, Chennai - 600029
Claret Complex, Duraisamy Reddy Street, Tambaram, Chennai 600045
SRK Mall, 14 Mall Road, Amritsar, Punjab - 143001
Eminent Mall, 216, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Main Model Town Road, Lajpat
Nagar, Jalandhar, Punjab - 144001
079-27912514
Ground Floor Sheetal Varsha-3, Opp. Maruti Showroom, Vijay Cross Road,
Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380006. Gujarat
Aditviya Complex, Ground Floor, B/H Arpan Complex, Opp. New Era School, Deluxe
Cross Roads, Vadodara - 390 002
Ground Flooor, Shivalik -5, Nr. Reliance Petrol Pump, Makkam Chowk, Gondal Road,
0281 2368003
Rajkot-360002. Gujarat
079-26463269 Arya Arcade, Nr. Croos Word, Mithakali Six Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009
0877-2255114 D.No: 19-4-9/R101 to 105, Annamaya Marg, Tirupathi - 517501
0866-2481966 Door No. 38-8-45, Opp. All India Radio Station, M.G Road, Vijayawda - 520010
Aakash Tower, Ground Floor, 781 Anandapur, Kasba, E. M. Bypass, Near Ruby
033- 24432113
Hospital Crossing, Kolkata - 700107
Amita Automobile Building, Radhika Nagar, Jalangi Road,PO- Cossimbazar,Pin03482-274324
742102,Behrampore, Murshidabad(West Bengal)
08462-243102 Door No: 5-6-33,JB Towers, Beside kapila Hotel, Hyderabad Road, Nizamabad-503002
040-23740075 Aditya Trade Centre, Ground Floor, Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500038
040-23562033 Anand Silicon Chip,Shaikpetnala, Tolichowki, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500 008
040-27902203 Gowra Trinity, 1-8-368 to 372, Chiran Fort Lane, Begumpet, Secunderabad 500 016
0181-2236800 Aman's Plaza, Plot No - 310, Lajpat Nagar, Mahavir Marg, Jalandhar, Punjab - 144001
0181-2243600
01882 - 251211 Arora's Galaxy, Near Hotel Presidency, Bus Stand Road, Hoshiarpur, Punjab - 146001
0124 2340489
044 23652577
044-23735313
044-22260184
0183-2400125
-
011-23765642
0891 2529555
0422 2627133 AGT Business Park, 25, Avinashi Road, Civil Aerodrome Post, Coimbatore - 641014
0452 2387776 CLARET PLAZA Melakkal Main Road, Kochadai, Madurai 625 016
0462-2353342 No.13, South Bypass Road, XAVIER Colony, Tirunelveli 627 005
0431 2766455 Plot No. A5, Salai Road & Shastri Road Junction, Thillai Nagar, TRICHY 620 017
New No.201/7D, Old No.201/7, Medical College Road, Next to Kumaran Cinema
04362 245877
Theatre, Thanjavur- 613 007
0171 2540082 Plot No. 2014 A, Baldev Nagar, Chandigarh-Ambala Highway, Ambala City - 134 002.
0172 2639583 Adarsh Lifestyle Mall, Plot No-50, Ph-II Industrial Area, Chandigarh - 160 002.
Akashdeep Complex, SCO 1-4, Near Gyan Singh Rarewalla Market, Link Road,
Ludhiana - 141 001
0161-2426102
0824 2411842 N0. 25/1A, Prakash Beedi Compound, Navbharat Circle, Kodialbail, Mangalore-575 003
080-25639145
Ground Floor, Sai Arcade, Devarabisanahalli, Marathahalli Outer Ring Road (Opp to
INTEL), Bangalore-560 037
I T Park, Opp. Tirukaramana Tank, Indira glass house, Pune-Bangalore road, Hubli- 580
0836 2358740
029.
080-22117700 Unit G-02, 45 Prestige Libra , Lalbagh Road, Near Urvashi Theatre, Bangalore 560 027
PSK DIRECTORY
19. PSK
K.V.Sujaya
Prasanna Kumari
ALAPPUZHA
COCHIN
PANAJI
GOA
GUWAHATI
PUNE
RAIPUR
JAMMU
PUNE
RAIPUR
JAMMU
Amarjinus Lakra
Rajinder K Gupta
S G Rane
T Armstrong Changsan
Paramjeet Singh
Md. Anwar Aalam
J K Desai
D.Ram
Sharad Kumar
Buddhi Sagar
Shiv Shankar Mishra
KANPUR
LUCKNOW
VARANASI
Samuel Kujur
GORAKHPUR
J.P. Singh
Shweta Dicholkar
Manisha Doiphode
MUMBAI-LOWER PAREL
Vinoy Kumar Choubey
Smt. A.D. Joshi
MUMBAI-ANDHERI
MUMBAI-MALAD
GUWAHATI
LUCKNOW
MUMBAI
Vijay Kumar
PVS Pillai
Veena Sharma
Srikar Pandey
S.P Pawaskar
T.D.Sharma
Krishan Kumar
Amrinder singh sengar
Sita Ram Yadav
Mathew Verghese P
NASIK
THANE
GHAZIABAD
GHAZIABAD
PAYYANOOR
K P Alavi
S. Sarojini
Sudheera
KANNUR-1
KOZHIKODE-1
KOZHIKODE-2
Rahel Kurian
KOTTAYAM
BARIELLY
THANE
K P Madhusoodhanan
Susan Alex
ALUVA
BARIELLY
KOZHIKODE
COCHIN
Radha Kizhakkeettil
MALAPPURAM
Subash Kumar Singh
MALAPPURAM
PATNA
Anand Kumar
PATNA
JAIPUR
S K Verma
Ramesh Chandra Meena
K M Meena
R.C. Meena
Sulochanan Kani
L R ShashiI Kumar
APO NAME
Deepak N Shah
P LathiI Kumari
P V Mathews
RPO NAME
Mahendra C Kadva
JAIPUR
JODHPUR
SIKAR
TRIVANDRUM
KOLLAM
SURAT
NEYYATTINKARA
TRIVANDRUM
RPO
SURAT
112100
122120
206100
127110
121100
120100
119110
122100
203100
202100
201100
205100
404104
213100
107100
118110
441104
239101
240100
231100
230100
227110
229100
243110
128100
115100
117100
116100
232100
232110
233100
VOIP NO.
212100
0191-2459861
0771-2432124
9272201185
0361 - 2345431
5422360123
0512-2540564,69
5522629924
5512500594
022-24915388
022-28306871
022-28891512
0253-2462245
022-05832013
0832-2437601
0120-2770512
0581-2522331
4985-209602
0496-2512245
0497-2713050
0495 2386003
0481 2562207
0191-2459861
0771-2432124
NA
0361 - 2345431
5422360123
0512-2540564
5522629924
5512500594
Passport Seva Kendra,Santosh Arcade,Medical College Road,Basharatpur,Gorakhpur273004
111/18-A, Anand Vaibhav Building, Harsh Nagar, G.T. Road, Kanpur-208012(UP)
Passport Seva Kendra,20-A,Ratan Square,Vidhan Sabha Marg,Lucknow-226001
Passport Seva Kendra,Satyam Apartment,B-38/67,Mahmoorganj,Opposite Police
Chowki ahmoorganj,Tulsipur,Varanasi-221010
Subham Velocity, Hanuboro Path, Walford, G S Road, Guwahati - 781005
S.No.79/1, ZERO ONE, Ghorpadi, Mundhwa Road, Near Pingle Wasti, Opp Ganga
Orchid, Pune 411 036
Passport Seva Kendra, Unit S -5, Second Floor, Shyam Plaza, Opp. New Bus Stand,
Pandai, Raipur - 492003
Auqaf Trust Building, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu-180004
022-24915396 Kamala Mills Compound, Trade Point, Grnd Floor, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013
0497-2713050 Salisons Enclave, Padannapalam, Kannur - 670 001 (Near Savitha Theatre)
0495 2386003 Koyenco House, Kozhikkode-Kannur Road, West Hill, Kozhikkode - 673 005
Ground Floor and First Floor of Koyenco Enclave Vatakara Kozhikkode Road,
0496-2512245
Vadakara, Kozhikkode - 673 101
Building no 31/115-B,Koyenco Arcade, Payyanoor, Kannur - 670 307 (Near Block
4985-209602
Development Office)
Passport Seva Kendra, 317/1, Radha Kishan Tower, Opposite Wood Row
0581-2522335
School,Pilibhit By-Pass Road, Bareilly - 243006, U.P.
Block-A Ground Floor, Pacific Business Park, Plot No-37/1, Site - IV, Sahibabad
0120-2770512
Industrial Area, Ghaziabad - 201010
Regional Passport Office, Passport Bhavan, EDC Complex, Patto Plaza, Panaji, Goa 0832-2437603
403 001
Unit No G-1, Ground Floor, Plot No E-7, Road No 22, Wagle Industrial Estate, MIDC,
022-25832013
Thane (West) 400604
Star Zone Mall Part of shop No. 3 & 45 Gr. Floor, Nashik Pune National Highway,
0253-2462245
Nashik Road, Nashik 422101.
Unit No. 2B, Ground Floor, Raheja TIPCO Plaza, Rani Sati Marg, Malad (East),
022-28891510
Mumbai - 400 097
022-28306871 D13, The Great Oasis, 21, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 069
0481 2562207 4 Square Plaza, M C Road, Opp Mahadeva Temple, Nagampadam, Kottayam - 686001
DIRECT PHONE NO.
FAX NO.
PSK ADDRESS
0261-2346044(Extn-107) 0261-2366044 1st Floor Union Trade Centre, Nr. Apple Hospital, Udhana Darwaja, Surat-395007
Building # MC VIII/1578/715A, S.N Trust Complex, Vellappally Nagar,Kollam - 691
0474-2744299
0474-2744299
001 (Near Kollam Municipal Corporation Office)
Ground Floor Carmel Towers, Vazhuthacaud, Trivandrum -695014 (Opp Cotton Hill
0471-2333383
0471-2333383
Girls High School)
Building # XIII / 397(A), Akshaya Complex, Opp KSRTC Bus Station, Neyyattinkara 0471-2222152
0471-2222152
695121
0141-2224286
0141-2220186 Orbit Mall, Ajmer Road, Near No. 4 ESI Dispensary, Sodala, Jaipur - 302006
0291-2786044
0291-2786046 Passport Seva Kendra,Sun Tower,Pal Road,Jodhpur-342003
0157-2243001
0157-2243003 Passport Seva Kendra,Shiv Mandir Cinema,Fathehpur Road,Sikar -332001
Passport Seva Kendra, Vaus Springs, Block II, Lower & Upper Ground Floor, Ashina
0612-2580726
0612 - 2580726
Digha Road, Patna – 800014, Bihar
0483-2730046
0483-2730046 Meempat Mall, Jubilee Road, Moonampadi, Malappuram - 676 505
Alleppey Avenue Centre, Beach Road, Alappuzha -688 001 (Near Kannan Varkey
0477-2253332
0477-2253332
Bridge)
Ground Floor, Heera Royale, Airport Seaport Road, Cochin Palace P.O, Karingachira 0484 2776990
0484 2776990
682301
Moosa Vaidyar Memorial Building, Aluva Perumbavoor Road, Aluva - 683101 (Near
0484-2626302
0484-2626302
Casino Theatre)
PSK DIRECTORY
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
19
20. STATUS SCAN
Numbers Speak - as on 31.03.12
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
PSKs operational/ready for operations
Applications processed
Languages supported at the Call Centre
Average citizens serviced daily
Average calls received at the Passport Seva Call Center daily
Average hits to the passportindia.gov.in portal daily
Citizen Satisfaction Index at PSK
70
19,80,842
15
Over 17,000
Over 16,000
Over 33,000
99.6%
Roll-out Status
As of 31st March 2012, 70 PSK sites are operational/ready for operations.
The build of remaining 7 sites, namely Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Srinagar, Dehradun, Shimla,
Delhi- Bhikaji, is in progress.
Nil
20
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
Nil
Nil
Bhopal
Bhubaneswar
Dehradun
Delhi-3
Ranchi
Shimla
Srinagar
Berhampore
Jammu
Nagpur
Nashik
Pune
Raipur
Ahmedabad1 Ernakulam- R Kannur-2
Ahmedabad2 Ghaziabad Kanpur
Kolkatta
Alappuzha Goa
Ambala
Gorakhpur Kollam
Kottayam
Amritsar
Gurgaon
Bangalore-1 Guwahati Kozhikhode-1
Bangalore-2 Hoshiarpur Kozhikhode-2
Lucknow
Bareilly
Hubli
Chandigarh Hyderabad-1 Ludhiana
Chennai-1 Hyderabad-2 Madurai
Chennai-2 Hyderabad-3 Mallapuram
Mangalore
Chennai-3 Jaipur
Coimbatore Jalandhar-1 Mumbai-1
Delhi-1
Jalandhar-2 Mumbai-2
Mumbai-3
Delhi-2
Jodhpur
Nizamabad
Ernakulam Kannur-1
Patna
Rajkot
Sikar
Surat
Thane
Thanjavur
Thissur
Tirunelvelli
Tirupati
Trichy
Trivandrum
Trivandrum- R
Vadodra
Varanasi
Vijaywada
Vizag
21. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
Citizen Feedback
In the Passport Seva Project, various
channels used for feedback collection are
as follows:
·
·
·
·
·
Feedback forms filled at PSKs
Touch screen facility installed at
select PSKs
E-mails received at PSP Helpdesk
Online through the Passport Seva
Portal
Call Centre
PSK-wise Overall Citizen Satisfaction Index
Collection of feedback is done on the
following four parameters:
·
·
·
·
Cleanliness and ambience
Courtesy
Efficiency / service delivery
Overall Experience
This section presents citizen satisfaction
gathered over the quarter January March 2012
Overall PSK Feedback Analysis
99.61 % Citizens rated PSK Services
as "Excellent", "Very Good" or "Good"
CITIZENS SPEAK...
VIP Feedback:
Mr. A R Rahman, Music Composer, visited PSK Chennai 1 on 1st February'12 and has rated very good
on courteousness towards citizen and good on all the other parameters.
Mr. M N Vidyashankar, Principal Secretary to Govt., Department of IT, BT, S&T and e-Governance,
visited PSK Bangalore 1 on 27th January'12 and has rated excellent all the parameters.
Comment– “Great Show. Keep it up “
Other Feedback:
We are very happy to see this ambience, customer service, communicating skills etc.. All government
officer should be like this. We are developing towards a great and bright future
- Arumugam Hemalatha, PSK Coimbatore
The new process has become very streamlined instead of earlier long waiting queue. However this PSK
at Tolichowki should have been bigger with more waiting area with more facilities to public. The
service is very good.
-SriDevi B, PSK Hyderabad 3
Scope for Improvement:
The process should be fast on each stages so that the PSK can manage more applicants on a day
- Madhu Soodan – PSK Delhi 1
Appointment taking process took more than a month, needs some improvement.
-Nilesh Khatri – PSK Bangalore 2
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
21
22. EMPLOYEES CORNER
DPCs held
S.No.
Name of DPC
1.
2.
3.
Held on
Asstt. to Supdt.
LDC to UDC (Ad hoc)
UDC to Assistant
Approved for promotion
04.01.2012
28.02.2012
09.03.2012
149
71
46
List of officers who joined on deputation
S.No.
1.
2.
Name
Shri Rajinder Kumar Gupta, DPO
Shri Firdous Iqbal, DPO
Station
H/o, Jammu
H/o, Srinagar
Date of joining
21.02.2012
29.03.2012
Deputationist who relinquished the charge
S.No.
1.
2.
Name
Shri Ashok Kumar Magotra
Shri Jose K Mathew
Post
PO
DPO
Date of relinquishment Station
31.01.2012 (Retired)
Jammu
16.03.2012
H/O, Madurai
List of officers who have since been retired/VRS/expired/resigned
from service w.e.f. January, 2012
S.No.
Name
Post
held
APO
Date of
birth
21.01.1952
1.
Shri K S Raveendran
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Smt. Sushila Chopra
Shri V A Raghuprasad
Shri Tulsi Das
Smt. B Balasubramanian
Smt. H Geetha Bai
Shri K R Mohanan
Shri L A Saiyed
Smt. T Jalaja Kumari
Smt. P M Jainubunnisha
Shri M Narayanan
Shri A Sattar Shareif
Smt. Kumari Bosco
Smt. Azamunnisa Begum
PGO
PGO
APO
Supdt.
APO
Driver
APO
APO
APO
APO
PGO
PGO
Supdt.
13.01.1952
07.01.1952
15.01.1952
30.01.1952
12.01.1952
15.01.1952
14.02.1952
02.02.1952
11.02.1952
20.02.1952
04.02.1952
11.02.1952
27.08.1957
15.
16.
Shri P P Appukuttan Nair
Smt. Kiran Mittal
PGO
APO
27.03.1952
11.03.1952
RPO Kolkata organized a Cricket Tournament on 3rd March 2012
for its officers and staff members
22
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
Date of
Retirement
26.01.2012
(Expired)
31.01.2012
31.01.2012
31.01.2012
31.01.2012
31.01.2012
31.01.2012
29.02.2012
29.02.2012
29.02.2012
29.02.2012
29.02.2012
29.02.2012
05.03.2012
(VRS)
31.03.2012
31.03.2012
Station
from
Cochin
Delhi
Kozhikode
Delhi
Chennai
Hyderabad
Cochin
Ahmedabad
Trivandrum
Cochin
Trichy
Bangalore
Cochin
Hyderabad
Malappuram
Chandigarh
RPO Bhopal celebrated Republic Day with a" Kavi Sammelan".
23. CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Interview : 'Same day passport renewal in New Year'
Punjab Newsline Network,Tuesday, 03 January 2012,
By R.M.S. Atwal
JALANDHAR: Regional Passport Officer Jalandhar, Parneet Singh,
has ambitious plans to facilitate people when it comes to providing
efficient passport services in the Doaba region. With three Passport
Seva Kendras (PSKs) - two in Jalandhar and one in Hoshiarpur - fully
operational, now a fresh passport will be made available within 30 days
and passport renewal will be done in a single day at PSKs.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Q. The Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) is a laudable initiative but an average passport-seeker still
seems to be groping in the dark. Could you throw light on this project?
Ans: This is a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) project launched in partnership with Tata Consultancy
Services (TCS). It has very good features which will go a long way in facilitating people in getting
passport facilities in a more efficient and transparent manner. On-the-spot grant of passport will help
people in saving their valuable time and energy. Now they don't have to make rounds of the main passport
office to submit missing documents or making queries about the status of their passports. Since
everything, including police inquiry is online now, it is going to be lot more easier for passport-seekers in
the days to come.
Q. But people from rural areas find the PSKs very scary, just like big showrooms. The feeling is
they must be very expensive. How would you allay those kinds of fears?
Ans: Well, we are quite aware of these kinds of issues and have already discussed it with the Ministry. It
has been agreed upon that initially we will follow the mix of both the systems. Since rural people are not
well-versed with the online thing, we have introduced the dual system of accepting passport applications
– walk-ins and online appointments. Under the new system, we are giving additional facilities – timings
have been enhanced from 1 pm to 4 pm for accepting applications. We have deputed two of our people for
accepting applications. So, there is no question of rural people getting harassed on account of the online
system...Let me make it clear that there is no such move to increase passport services fee, at least not in
the near future.
Q. Don't you think this partial outsourcing is a change for better, in the larger public interest?
Ans: Here (RPO main) we are working with staff shortage of 80 people. Before PSKs came into
existence, it was very difficult to run the office. Now our staffs are free to granting the passports and will
have more time to attend to some complex issues like deportation and adoption cases...The young staff at
the PSKs is doing only basic functions like capturing pictures, scanning and the finger-printing, which
somebody with a training of one-two months can do... Since we all are working for the public welfare, I
don't think any Govt employee will have any grudge on taking help from a private company like TCS.
Q. Everything looks good on paper. But don't you think there will be some roadblocks in the
implementation of the new system?
Ans: Yes, there will be some because there are lot of people who are not aware of the current system. So,
we are planning to hold passport Lok Adalat in each PSK, every Wednesday. I will sit for two hours in
each PSK to sort out problems of those applicants whose files have been put on hold.
Q. Any message for passport-seekers?
Ans: I would like to request people to straight-away come to us instead of approaching travel agents.
With the opening of three PSKS we will give our best services.
Passport Patrika January- March 2012
23
24. EXPANDING NETWORK OF PASSPORT SERVICES
RPO (37)
Regional Passport Office
Srinagar
Jammu
PSK ( 77)
Leh
Passport Seva Kendra
PSLK (15)
Passport Seva Laghu Kendra
Amritsar
Hoshiarpur
Shimla
Jalandhar
Ludhiana Chandigarh
Ambala Dehradun
Gurgaon
Sikar
Ghaziabad
New Delhi
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Bareilly
Kanpur
Gorakhpur
Varanasi
Darbhanga
Patna
Ranchi
Bhopal
Vadodra
Kharagpur
Surat
Thane
Siliguri
Nagpur
Raipur
Guwahati
Kohima
Shillong
Berhampore
Ahmedabad
Rajkot
Itanagar
Gangtok
Lucknow
Agartala
Imphal
Aizawl
Kolkata
Bhubaneswar
Nashik
Mumbai
Nizamabad
Pune
Panaji
Gulbarga
Visakhapatnam
Hyderabad
Vijayawada
Hubli
Mangalore
Puducherry
Islands
Madurai
Tirunelveli
Port Blair
icobar
Coimbatore
Thanjavur
Tiruchirappalli
Andaman
&
Nicobar
Islands
an & N
Kannur
Kozhikode
Malappuram
Thrissur
Ernakulam
Kottayam
Alappuzha
Kollam
Thiruvananthapuram
Andam
Tirupati
Bengaluru
Chennai
Disclaimer : The map shown is only indicative and not to scale
Ministry of External Affairs
Government of India
www.passportindia.gov.in
24x7 Call Centre
Toll free number 1800-258-1800