Work at passport centre picks up pace

SNS, SILIGURI, 2 MARCH 2018: The Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), which is now fully operational at Himanchal Vihar in Siliguri, is getting good response from the people of north Bengal.

While the first such facility for the region was inaugurated on 17 February, it started actual work from 19 February.

The centre receives 100 applications for normal and re-issuance of passports, 10 for tatkal passports and 10 police clearance certificates a day.

"We are satisfied with the response from the people. At times, we are receiving more than 100 applications in a day. Apart from Siliguri, people the residents from the Jalpaguri, Alipurduar and as far as Malda district are thronging the Centre," said deputy passport officer of the PSK, Siliguri, Tapan Das.

There is one granting officer, two verification officers, and one resident engineer at the Centre presently.

"There are 10 counters at the facility, but two counters deal other passport-related work. We will consider opening other counters if the number of applications swells," Mr Das said.

After months of uncertainty, the centre, which has come up on a 4227 sq ft area of a building owned by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) at Himanchal Vihar at Matigara, was finally inaugurated by Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia last month.

Earlier, people of north Bengal had to travel either to Kolkata or Behrampore or Gangtok for their passport-related work, while the centre in Siliguri has come as a huge relief for them.

The only Passport Application and Collection Centre (PACC) for north Bengal that was inaugurated in Siliguri by the then Union minister of state, MEA, Ajit Panja, on 12 May 2000, was shut down on April 1, 2013 following directives from-the Regional Passport Office in Kolkata.