Faster services awaited: Mangaluru seeks Regional Passport Office upgrade

PTI, Dec 5, 2024, 9:42 AM IST

Mangaluru: The Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Mangaluru, which receives 400-500 applications daily, has long been the focus of a demand for an upgrade to a Regional Passport Office (RPO). Despite the pressing need, the demand remains unfulfilled, leaving locals disappointed.

Given the high number of people from the region traveling abroad for employment, there is an urgent need for a Regional Passport Office to ensure quicker services. Currently, the Mangaluru PSK caters not only to Dakshina Kannada but also to Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, and Hassan districts.

Rising Application Numbers
The Mangaluru PSK operates under the Bengaluru RPO. Over the years, the number of applications submitted has steadily increased. For instance, in 2014, the Bengaluru RPO processed around 5 lakh passports, which rose to 8.6 lakh by 2023.

Despite Karnataka’s size and growing demand, it has only one RPO, compared to Kerala, which has three (Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode), and Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which also have three each. Karnataka’s single RPO oversees five PSKs statewide.

Staffing and Process Delays
The Mangaluru PSK is managed by a private agency with just two government officials responsible for document verification and approval. The remaining staff handle basic processes such as data entry, application acceptance, and initial checks.

Approved applications are sent to the Bengaluru RPO for final processing and printing. The lack of local printing facilities means even minor issues can delay passport issuance. While police verification is typically completed within 10 days, a local RPO could expedite the process to as little as two days.

Political Support
Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta expressed his intention to raise the demand for upgrading the PSK to an RPO in the current parliamentary session, emphasizing its importance for the region’s growth and convenience.

Similarly, Ivan D’Souza, MLC, highlighted that only 50% of applications at the Mangaluru PSK are approved locally. Discrepancies such as name or date errors and cases of duplicate passports are forwarded to the Bengaluru RPO, causing delays. A local RPO would resolve these issues and streamline services, he noted.

The Way Forward
The proposal to elevate Mangaluru PSK to an RPO has gained renewed attention, with stakeholders and politicians rallying for faster passport services to meet the growing demand in the region.