Ahluwalia to inaugurate passport camp on Oct 18

EOI, Siliguri, 16 Oct 2014: The two-day passport camp in Siliguri scheduled on October 18 and 19 will be inaugurated by Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia. The camp is slated to be held within the premises of the Siliguri municipality office and is aimed at helping passport applicants from Darjeeling, Siliguri, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur. 

As per a report from the passport office in Calcutta, the first 300 applicants to enroll online will get a chance to attend the camp. The online enrolment was thrown open to the public on Wednesday. Applicants can process their passport papers the way they are done at the Passport Seva Kendras in Calcutta and Behrampore, cutting travel and lodging costs. 

The camp will start at 10:00am Saturday morning, according to Geeta Srivastav, an official from the Calcutta regional passport office.

When contacted, Ahluwalia said the camp is a great opportunity for passport applicants, especially for students looking to go abroad for further studies. Notably, the MP has been lobbying for opening a passport office in the region. 

“I am hopeful the government will soon initiate a plan to open a regional passport office in Siliguri. It will be a great boon for applicants as they will not have to travel all the way to Calcutta,” he added.