S Delhi passport centre shuts down

If you live in South Delhi, getting a passport will now be a really tough task. At least till January end.

If you live in South Delhi, getting a passport will now be a really tough task. At least till January end.

North India’s biggest regional passport office at Bikaji Cama Place has shut down and is currently open only for tatkal applications. So, to apply for a passport or to get it renewed, you have to travel to the Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) in Ghaziabad’s Sahibabad industrial area, in Gurgaon’s Udhyog Vihar or Shalimar place in North West Delhi.

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The regional passport office was shut for general applications earlier this month and the tatkal applications will be accepted only for 15-20 more days."We have stopped accepting general applications and in some time, we will shut the tatkal service here. Three PSKs are operational in NCR," said Anurag Bhushan, regional passport officer.

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The Bikaji Cama office will become a central office for all backend operations. The government has outsourced these PSKs to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

The PSKs will make the passport process more difficult for uneducated people who go abroad to work as labourers or domestic help as the application will have to be submitted online first.

Unlike the Regional Passport Office, you cannot walk in with your application at the PSKs. “The applicant has to apply online after which an application reference number would be generated and an appointment given,” the officer added.