You may have to give a 'tip' to get a passport

The passport office recently decentralised the process of applying for a passport, to make life easier for applicants who had to travel from across the city and suburbs to the head-office at Worli. However, the move doesn't seem to have borne the intended results.

The passport office recently decentralised the process of applying for a passport, to make life easier for applicants who had to travel from across the city and suburbs to the head-office at Worli. However, the move doesn't seem to have borne the intended results.

HT Image

HT spoke to several applicants who complained about leaks in the process. Having experienced the corrupt system first hand, they agreed to be quoted only if names were changed to protect their identities.

Borivli resident Swati Pillai was being sent to the UK by her employer, and applied for a passport. Pillai went to the Samta Nagar police station, which is one of the five centres - in addition to the main passport office - where one can submit the application. "I made five trips to the police station only to submit the form," Pillai said. "After the initial visits, a friend suggested that I offer a 'tip'. My application form was finally accepted, but only when it was accompanied by a hundred-rupee note."

These aren't the only problems. There have also been instances when policemen from the local police station went for verification of address, and suggested that the application might not get cleared unless the applicant turned in a small 'fee'.

Elroy Ebnazer, a professor with a city-based college, said, "I was flying to France on a scholarship, and had limited time to get my passport done. My friends suggested that I give some money to the policeman who comes for verification, which I did and my work was done instantly."