Beginning this Saturday, many Passport Seva Kendras will remain open even on weekends, the ministry of external affairs has said. The TOI campaign on the logjam has made the government put reforms on the fast track.
In an unprecedented move, the ministry of external affairs on Thursday announced a ‘Passport Mela’ this weekend at many PSKs countrywide – the kendras will remain open on Saturday and Sunday and people can just walk in, without an appointment. This practice will continue till the entire backlog has been cleared.
There has been a huge backlog of applications due to the holiday rush, which is why they are having this passport mela. Ministry of External Affairs is doing it for the first time in the country. This will help them surface the service in about six weeks from now.
The Passport officials will entertain walk-ins only on weekends. And people need not form queues early in the morning. They can visit the Passport Office anytime after 10.00 a.m.
