To check misuse, Tatkal passport likely in Chandigarh only

PROPOSAL SENT TO EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY TO DROP LUDHIANA AND AMBALA AS CENTRES

CHANDIGARH: To check irregularities in the issue of Tatkal passports in Punjab and Haryana, the Regional Passport Officer (RPO), Chandigarh, has proposed to centralise the facility in the city. At present, people wanting a Tatkal passport in Punjab have to travel to Ludhiana and for Haryana, the centre is Ambala.

A Tatkal passport is issued between one and three days, against the three weeks of processing time for a normal passport. If the proposal is accepted, Chandigarh’s quota for Tatkal appointments would be raised to 250 or 260 a day from the current 120. The 70 slots each for Ludhiana and Ambala will be cancelled. “Applicants were misusing the provision of Tatkal passport for reasons varying from dodging the law-enforcement agencies to petty reasons, like not wanting to wait for the three weeks it takes to get a passport in the normal course,” RPO Sibash Kabiraj told HT, adding that he had sent a proposal to the Union ministry of external affairs.

The move is aimed at mitigating the suffering of genuine applicants and also speedy disposal of appointments for Tatkal passports in case of re-issuance with a clear police report and minor children.

“Once Chandigarh becomes the hub for Tatkal appointments, the passport, once granted shall be dispatched the next day,” the RPO added.

‘LUDHIANA, AMBALA ILL-EQUIPPED TO DETECT FALSE INFO’

“Passport Seva Kendras in Ludhiana and Ambala are not equipped to catch false information or forged documents. This poses a national security risk,” Kabiraj added.

He added that in cases where police verification is not required for Tatkal passports like re-issuance and for minors, the document is dispatched within one working day, excluding the date of submission of application.

The RPO added that for the past two-three days, the Chandigarh office had asked Ambala and Ludhiana offices to send applicants for Tatkal appointments to them on an experimental basis. “Only 20% of applicants turned up,” the officer added.