Damaged, lost passports of flood-hit Kashmiris to be replaced

In a major relief for Jammu and Kashmir residents, the government Tuesday said it will issue passports with same validity and waiver of fees to those whose travel documents were lost or damaged in the floods last month.

"Passport holders in J&K whose passports have been damaged/lost in floods to be issued same validity passports with waiver of fees," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said in a tweet.

The floods that ravaged Jammu and Kashmir last month left around 280 people dead while thousands of houses were damaged.

The spokesperson said that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had approved waiver of fees for replacement passports for residents of the state.

The Regional Passport Office in Srinagar, located on the first floor of the building of the Passport Seva Kendra, would accept applications for replacements, he said.

The waiver of fees for replacements of passports is valid for six months.

The applications for replacements of lost or damaged passports will be accepted in Srinagar.