An online passport application registration centre was inaugurated at the head post office (HPO) premises here on Monday. The HPO was one among the 28 post offices in the central region of the postal department.
The centre aims at checking exploitation by middlemen.
At adalat and grievance day meetings organised by the Passport Office, it was noticed that many applicants were being exploited by middlemen, private browsing centres which collected anywhere between Rs. 200 and Rs.500 for registering details in the passport applications online. “This problem has now been addressed through these facilitation centres,” said K. Balamurugan, Regional Passport Officer, who inaugurated the centre.
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The fee for these services has also been fixed by the Postmaster General at Rs.70 for post offices situated within Tiruchi, and Rs.100/- for other post offices. These centres would be in addition to the already existing three ex-servicemen help desk located at the Passport Office on the West Boulevard Road and at Passport Seva Kendras in Tiruchi and Thanjavur, he added.
The post offices would maintain the username and password for every applicant so that the they could reschedule their appointment and also make any changes in the forms for a maximum of three times. “The facility was not available in internet browsing centres, ” Mr. Balamurugan said.
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The services would be available at the post offices in Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Karur, Kulithalai, Kumbakonam, Melakaveri, Mayiladuthurai, Sirkali, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pattukottai, Tiruthuraipoondi, Pudukottai, Tiruchi, Tiruchi Fort, Lalgudi, Golden Rock, Teppakulam, Srirangam, Thuraiyur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Papanasam, Mannargudi, Vriddhachalam, Tirukoilur, Kallakurichi and Ariyalur.