RPO issues record 3-lakh passports in 2006

Tiruchirapalli, Dec 28 (UNI) The Regional Passport Office (RPO), Tiruchirapalli had issued a record three lakh Passports, this year, even as the authorities had embarked on a massive initiative to clear the backlog of applications, K S Daulat Thameem, Regional Passport Officer said today.

Talking to newspersons here this evening, he said last year, the RPO, which caters to 16 Central and Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu, had issued three-lakh passports till December 27 and the figure would end up with 3.02 lakhs, this year. By crossing the three-lakh mark, the RPO, here was likely to emerge on top among the Passport Offices in South India, in terms of the number of passports issued, he added.

Mr Thameem said the RPO had issued 2.18 lakh passports in 2005.

The authorities were working overtime to clear the backlog, reportedly caused by the short supply of passport booklets, early this year, he added.

He said, the initiatives, however, seemed to have achieved the desired goal, as the office had issued a record 1.50 lakh fresh passports over the past four months alone. On an average, the office receives about 1,500 applications every day and was issuing atleast 1,000 passports a day, he added.

The Officer said, similarly, the passport office had achieved a profit of Rs 30 crore this year, as against Rs 27 crore last year.

Mr Thameem said the RPO had introduced the shift-system to reduce further the average time for issuing a passport to six weeks from this month from the existing 65 to 70 days.

He said the Central Government had simplified the passport procedures. Passports under the Tatkal Scheme would be issued within seven days, he added.

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