Letters: Passport blues

With reference to Subir Roy’s lovely piece “Birth pangs of a passport” (January 21), the write-up echoed livid personal experiences. While there has been a sea change, visible in the initial process of online registration for submission of the requisite documents at Passport Seva Kendras across the country, these outsourced service centres have largely remained understaffed resulting in the availability of somewhat restrictive services only. For sure, this aspect needs to be genuinely looked into.

The author hit the nail on the head by recounting the several “technical” hiccups confronted by him at the stage of police verification of his residential address. His remark to the police officer concerned, “Try to go beyond sections and on to the logic behind laws”, says everything without mincing words. Perhaps the author has deliberately avoided talking about the infamous “service charges” (read chai-pani) that are asked for before giving an all-clear report. Why does one have to repeatedly prove one’s own existence and that too at a particular place despite documentary evidence clearly speaking for itself? Why can’t there be a mechanism that can obviate interactions with any hard-faced official? Can the issuing or renewal of a passport also not be linked to our over-emphasised Aadhaar-based data?

S K Gupta | New Delhi Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to: 

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