Mangalore passport melas to be on Sept 20 and Oct 11

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 13, 2014: According to a press release, Karnataka Regional Passport Officer P C Kartikeyan announced that, a Passport Mela will be held in Mangalore passport office on September 20 and October 11. The officer was on a visit to  Mangalore Passport Office on Sept 12. On the occasion, MLC Ivan D’Souza met Kartikeyan and held a discussion with him.

 

The Regional Passport Officer issued an order that at least 330 passports per day should be issued henceforth against the current 305. It was also decided to clear an additional 2,550 passport applications during the passport melas. He meanwhile assured of providing required facilities to the applicants at the passport office.

Kartikeyan said that a discussion will be held with police officials and a request will be made to the police department to clear applications submitted for verification, within 20 days. Karnataka is the state which issues highest number of passports in the nation and there is a need to create awareness among people regarding the documents to be submitted at the time of passport mela, he said.

To a request made by MLC Ivan D’Souza to take measures towards a better quality of paper used for passports, the Regional Passport Officer said that he will bring it to the notice of the authorities. Steps will be taken to deliver passports  within three days of the approving of the application. A request has been made to the Ministry of External Affairs to provide more officers to passport office, Mangalore, P C Kartikeyan said and added that at present, the applicants are categorised into various groups while it is possible for 60 per cent of the applicants to receive the passports without police verification. Passport officers Shakim Begum, Chetan Urva, Arun Crasta and others were present.