The Regional Passport Office (RPO) Hyderabad issued 6.95 lakh passports in 2014, the most by any RPO in the country, and a 13 per cent growth over last year’s numbers.
Regional Passport Officer Ashwini Sattaru told reporters that they had received 7.17 lakh applications of which 6.95 lakh was issued. In 2013, the RPO issued 6.32 lakh passports of the 6.56 lakh applications it received.
The RPO’s record figures are courtesy faster police verification, thanks to innovative methods being adopted. These methods, introduced by Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy, have been recognised by many of the country’s RPOs, where the respective local police have been requested to replicate them. The Hyderabad police takes 21 days to clear a passport application, while Cyberabad police takes 13, Adilabad nine, Mahabubnagar and Medak eight days, and Krishna district six days. The greater duration in Hyderabad is due to the huge number of applications submitted from the city.
Ms. Sattaru said Anantapur, Chittoor, YSR Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore, Vijayawada, Guntur and Prakasham would soon be transferred to the Passport Office in Visakhapatnam as a result of the State bifurcation. The office there already deals with Andhra Pradesh’s north coastal districts.
Validity deadline
The officer said that from November 24, 2015, all hand-written and non-machine readable passports would become invalid. All passport-holders who have been issued handwritten passports with a 20-year validity, and those who have non-machine readable passports, should renew their passports.
Passport-holders should realise that some countries don’t accept passports that have fewer than two visa pages remaining, Ms. Sattaru said. Those who face such a problem should apply for a re-issue.
There is no provision for additional booklets or pages. Frequent travellers can apply for a jumbo booklet with 60 pages. She also asked Haj pilgrims to apply for passports well in advance to avoid last-minute rush and tension. Deputy Passport Officer L. Madan Mohan Reddy was also present.
