Gopalji Singh (56), a resident of Adityapur and his wife Radha (54), couldn't stop smiling as they stepped out of Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in Jamshedpur on Tuesday after applying for their passports.
The middle-aged couple, who always wanted to visit their daughter settled in Michigan, the US, had never applied for passports before fearing trouble in seeking an appointment with the passport seva kendra in Ranchi.
"We never applied for passports before as we didn't want to take the trouble of going to Ranchi. It would mean taking two days' leave from office and the journey will leave us all tired," Singh, who works in the road construction department in Seraikela-Kharswan, said.
"When we learnt about the new passport seva kendra in Jamshedpur, we immediately filled in application forms online and sought an appointment with them a week ago. Today (Tuesday) we completed all necessary formalities and were told that our passports will reach us within 25 days," added wife Radha, who is now looking forward to visit her daughter in Michigan.
The Singhs are not the only one. The POPSK at the General Post Office, Bistupur, which was inaugurated on March 19 receives 50 applications daily. So far, the centre with four staff, has processed 557 passport applications till April 3.
Applicant Deepak Kumar (27), an apprentice with Tata Refractories Ltd (TRF), said he applied for a passport for better job opportunities abroad.
"I desperately wanted a passport. Taking appointment at the passport seva kendra in Ranchi meant incurring additional expenses. But here in Jamshedpur itself, the process was so smooth and officials were very helpful. It took me around half an hour to get my documents verified," said the Kadma resident.
Response has been good, said passport kendra officials. "We usually record 50 applications compared to 55 slots that we offer everyday. Applicants will receive passports within 25 days of police verification. Usually the police verifies a person within 21 days from the date of initial verification by the passport office, following which we immediately despatch the passport to the person concerned. We are happy with the response so far," said Suhas Kumar Sahay, assistant superintendent at POPSK, Jamshedpur.
