Patna Passport Office to be revamped with Corporate Outlook

Patna: Regional Passport Office at Patna is all set to undergo complete makeover and soon turn into a corporate style office at par to those in other countries.This is another sign of the pace at which Bihar is transforming.
Another Good News is that Patna Passport Office has been chosen to be a Passport Seva Kendra under the acclaimed Passport Seva Project of the Union government. Under it, passport services are provided in a speedy, convenient and transparent manner through a public-private initiative.The project is a joint initiative of the Union ministry of external affairs and Tata Consultancy Services started almost 2 years back.

Anand Kumar, the regional passport officer said: “The regional passport office in Patna will be developed as Passport Seva Kendra under the Passport Seva Project with an aim to deliver passports in a timely, easier and comfortable environment, through a streamlined process.”

Under it, the numbers of counters at the passport office — to submit forms, issue passports and others services — would increase from eight to a whooping 54. The office hours would increase by four hours. It is 10am to 1.30pm at present. Soon, it would remain open up to 5.30pm. A 24-hour enquiry counter would also be opened at the office to provide information.

Modernization of the passport office is another aspect of the project. For that, a new office is being built at Ashaina Mor. The new office would have an area of 1,300 sqft. It would be functional by March 31, 2012.

Sources said the launch of the Passport Seva Project in the city would help cut down the involvement of middlemen in the process of issuing passports.

A month ago, the police had raided the regional passport office at Mauryalok Complex and nabbed around 20 touts involved in the “simplification” of the process.

These middlemen offered all kind of services, including police verification and delivery of passport, in a short time. They charged anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 for their services.

Passport Seva Kendras have started to function in cities like Chandigarh and Bangalore. An office would also start work at Calcutta from November this year.

A passport adalat was organised today for applicants who had not received their documents. Around 130 cases of applicants, who had submitted their papers between January 1 and May 31 this year, were settled. The regional passport officer claimed that in the past few years, the number of pending cases had come down. At the start of last year, the number of pending cases was 91,000. It has come down to 37,000.

Moreover, the average time for delivering passports has also come down. Earlier, it took around 190 to 200 days to deliver a passport, now it takes around 70.