Regional Passport office achieves record output

Bangalore, Jan 5 (UNI) The Regional Passport Office has issued 2,71,941 passports in 2006, 45.7 per cent more than the previous year, creating a new record in output.

The Regional Passport Office, in a release here today, said the Ministry of External Affairs had issued fresh guidelines simplifying the procedure for issue of passports. Under the revised guidelines, passports under tatkal scheme would be issued within a week, instead of ten days at present on payment of a tatkal fee of Rs 1,500. It would be within eight to 14 days with a fee of Rs 1,000.

UNI