Pune rural police department has decided to upgrade the police verification process needed for passports and will be using tab systems to complete the process. Hand-held electronic tablets will be used by police personnel to complete address verifications of passport applicants. Officials said that the move was to avoid delays in issuance of passports.
Tab system is a process of police verification where police officials use tablet computers to verify addresses. While the city police are already equipped with the system, residents of the Pune rural region continue to face delays in getting passports owing to discrepancies in the police address verification process.
However, Pune Rural region will now equip their police personnel with the tab system in a bid to further expedite the speed of issuance of passports.
Regional passport officer JD Vaishampayan had earlier said, “Faster police verification process could further expedite the entire process. From our end, we have expedited the process of issuing passports. However, the prolonged police verification, especially in rural sectors, holds back our fast-track process. Usually, 21 days are allotted for police verification. Unfortunately, there are cases where the deadline is not achieved. This becomes a hindrance in the speedy issuance of passports.”
Ganesh Ugle, police inspector, passport verification branch, Pune rural, said, “We are in the final stage of upgrading ourselves to the tab system. We have already sent our quotations to the director general’s office. We expect it to be approved by the end of the month. After buying the tabs, we will conduct a 15-day training workshop for officers of our department to enable them to cope up with the new system efficiently. By February end, we will start using the tab system for police verification. The upgraded system would certainly help us in conducting a fast-track police verification for passports.”
{{/usCountry}}Ganesh Ugle, police inspector, passport verification branch, Pune rural, said, “We are in the final stage of upgrading ourselves to the tab system. We have already sent our quotations to the director general’s office. We expect it to be approved by the end of the month. After buying the tabs, we will conduct a 15-day training workshop for officers of our department to enable them to cope up with the new system efficiently. By February end, we will start using the tab system for police verification. The upgraded system would certainly help us in conducting a fast-track police verification for passports.”
{{/usCountry}}Once implemented, police officials can immediately update the address verification status of an applicant to a main server, from where the passport authority can then retrieve the information faster.
The officer will also have to take a picture of the applicant and upload it to the passport server as a proof of his/her visit to the applicant’s home. The tablet’s GPS data will also be checked to verify if the officer had visited the applicant’s home.
The tablet will use an app, mPassport Police, developed by the ministry of external affairs.
Mahesh Mate, head constable, passport verification branch, Pune rural, said, “This upgraded tab system for address verification will help us decrease the time needed for police verification by almost 60 per cent. It will definitely help the authority in issuing passports faster.”
Police personnel from 18 districts that fall under the jurisdiction of Pune rural area will get the tab system upgrade. They are Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed-Alandi, Maval, Mulshi, Haveli, Bopodi, Shivajinagar, Parvati (SC), Kasba Peth, Bhvani Peth, Pune Cantonment, Shirur, Daund, Indapur, Baramati, Purandhar and Bhor.