Hyderabad RPO issues 4.42L passports last year despite COVID lockdown
Post-lockdown, the Passport Offices opened with 50 percent staff in June 2021 and later with 75 percent in August 2021.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 5 Jan 2022 5:14 AM GMT
Hyderabad Regional Passport Office (RPO) issued 4.42 lakh passports in 2021 despite lockdown. The RPO had issued 5.54 lakh passports in 2019, 2.93 lakh in 2020, and 4.42 lakh in 2021. Releasing the Annual Report, Regional Passport Officer Dasari Balaiah said RPO is rendering services in a timely and transparent manner since 1975.
Under RPO, Hyderabad, there are four Passport Seva Kendras, one Passport Laghu Seva Kendra and 14 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras spread across Telangana. During last year's lockdown, Passport Services were not stopped. All the emergency passports requirements were attended from RPO, Secunderabad.
Post-lockdown, the Passport Offices opened with 50 percent staff in June 2021 and later with 75 percent in August 2021.In view of the demand for passports, 100 percent of appointments were released from September 23, 2021. The appointment availability cycle in September 2021 was seven working days. It increased to 15 working days in October and November 2021.
To reduce the delay in appointments, 200 additional appointment slots per day were released throughout all PSKs in December 2021. Passport applicants were attended while following all the COVID –19 appropriate behavior protocols. This resulted in the immediate dropping of waiting time for Passport appointments at PSKs (Begumpet, Ameerpet, and Tolichowki) and PSLK, Karimnagar to 7-8 working days and to two days in PSK, Nizamabad.
RPO, Hyderabad, normally issues Passports within 3 working days under Tatkal Scheme and in 7-10 working days under Ordinary Scheme,
