E-Paper
Pune regional passport office suspends online appointments
The Pune regional passport office after directions from the state government has stopped releasing appointments for the remaining days of the lockdown period taking
The Pune regional passport office after directions from the state government has stopped releasing appointments for the remaining days of the lockdown period taking into consideration the possible crowding at the passport seva kendra in Mundhwa.
Taking into account the rising number of Covid-19 patients, Vikram Kumar, the newly appointed Pune municipal commissioner declared a 10-day lockdown. The lockdown ends on July 23.
According to Pune regional passport officer Anant Takawale, the passport department was informed by the state government to stop appointments.
“As of today the 520 appointments being given every day have been closed till further orders. In this case, the state government is the authority which took the lockdown decision and we are following its orders,” Takawale said.
Despite the state government’s appeal to stay indoors many were found crowding the passport office after it opened after the previous two-month lockdown.
“We have been following all the social distancing norms of the state government for Covid-19 and every effort is being taken for the safety of the applicants and the staff,” Takawale added.
In March, after lockdown 1.0 announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all the passport offices in the country halted appointments. In May, the passport appointment was restarted in states which were out of red zones.
Since Maharashtra fell under the red zone category, the passport offices were shut and centres began functioning only during the second week of June after due permission was given by the state government.
Initially, in each of passport centres, a lot of only two hundred appointments was released as it was aimed at maintaining social distance norms of the state government.
However, in phases, the number of appointments went up to 700 in the month of July.
