The external affairs department of the central government has been taking various measures to simplify the procedure to get a passport.The zonal passport offices have been taking action to enable the passport applicants to apply without any difficulties in simplified procedures and get the passport quickly.
In Tamil Nadu, 3 passports centres are operating in Chennai city. There are centres in 5 cities – Trichy, Thanjavur, Madurai, Thirunelveli, and Coimbatore. Thus, there are totally 8 passport centres in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The urban public who are mostly educated are able to apply for passport online using the internet facility. However, most of the rural public are uneducated. They find it quite difficult to complete the procedure for passport applications.
Expoliting this weakness of the rural public, the middle-men or brokers charge them anywhere between Rs. 5000/- to Rs. 8000/- to get them passports. Tere were quite anuber of complaints received regarding this issue of simplifying the procedure for rural public to apply for passports.
An initiative was takn to introduce the facility for online application of passports through Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Company.
Chennai Regional Passport officer Mr. Balamurugan along with other officials had detailed discussions with the Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Company, Mr. Kumarkurubaran in order to extend the online application facility even in the rural areas.
‘E-service cetres’ are already operating in 264 Taluk Offices throughout Tamil Nadu.Now, there are plans to include the facility to apply online for passport application in these e-service centres.
The facility to apply online for passports is scheduled to begin in all Taluk offices from tomorrow (Monday, 21st September).
Apart from all Taluk offices, online passport application facility will be available at hennai secretariat, 15 regional offices of Channai Corporation in Chennai city, Ripon Building in Chennai city, and the 4 regional offices in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Trichy for a total of285 centres where the facility of online passport applications will become functional.
Applicants will have to bring all the required documents for applying for passport.
Rs. 1655/- will be collected as the passport application fee. Rs. 100/- will go to thepassport office. Rs. 100/- will go to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV company. Rs. 60/- will go to Sate Bank of India.
The e-ervice centres are asministered by Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Company. Chennai Regional Passport Officer Mr. Balaguru informed that passport e-service centres will be functional from tomorrow (Monday, 21st September) for the benefit of rural citizens.
If the applicants visit the e-0service centres withal the required documents, the counter person will check the documents and register the passport application. He will fill up the data like the time & date of visit to the passport office and send it online. The fees for this is Rs. 1655/- only. No other expenses are to be incurred.
All persons applying for new passports and those who are applying for renewal of passports can apply here at the e-service centres. A receipt for the fees paid will be given.
Thus, the e-service centres would be extremely helpful for the rural citizens in simplifying the procedure for passport applications. There will be no room for middle-men or brokers from now. The applicants can directly go and use the e-service centre.
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