The number of passports issued by the Passport Seva Kendras in Madurai and Tirunelveli in 2017 had risen by over 22 % when compared to the previous year, said Regional Passport Officer T. Arun Prasad here on Thursday.
In a press release, he said that the Regional Passport Office here catered to Theni, Dindigul, Madurai City, Madurai district, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli city, Tirunelveli district and Kanniyakumari districts. There were two PSKs functioning in Madurai and Tirunelveli.
In 2017, 2,94,846 passports were issued, while in 2016, 2,43,143 passports were issued - 22.16 % higher than the previous year. Apart from conducting special melas and camps in educational institutions last year, the RPO staff members conducted camps in High Court Bench and the district courts for the benefit of staffs and advocates.
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Applicants could check the user-friendly website for list of documents to be submitted along with the application in original and photocopies for speedy process. Of the 2,99,176 applications received last year, 2,98,819 were accepted last year.
He appealed to the public to make use of the online appointments and suggested applicants to check the official website in the Union Ministry of External Affairs for finer details. The Madurai RPO had the facility of Skype, WhatsApp and SMS facilities through which the applicants could check the status of their application themselves instead of seeking help from touts, he said.
While steps had been taken to simplify many procedures and self-declaration was accepted subject to satisfaction of the granting officers at the PSKs, false submission would be viewed seriously, Mr. Arun Prasad said.
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