Belagavi is in the list of five locations across the State where the Ministry of External Affairs has decided to open Post Office Passport Seva Kendras. The other locations are Bengaluru, Davangere, Hassan and Kalaburagi.
Prompted by the successful operationalisation of the two pilot projects, one at Mysuru by Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliament Affairs H.N. Ananth Kumar on January 25 and another in Dahod of Gujarat the same day, the government has decided to scale up the programme by opening 56 kendras, including five in Karnataka, as per an announcement made by the MEA.
The MEA and the Department of Posts (DOP) had come together to utilise head post offices in various States as POPSKs for delivering passport related services on larger scale to the citizens. The MEA stated that the kendras in Mysuru and Dahod were operating successfully and releasing about 100 appointments every day.
The residents of Belagavi and professional bodies such as Belagavi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Belagavi District Small Scale Industries Association and various social organisations had been demanding opening of a Passport Seva Kendra in the city since the passport office was shut down a couple of years ago. The residents had to go to Hubbali, 110 km away, for all passport related services since then.