Bhubaneswar, May 28: Long and excruciating wait for getting your passport will soon be a thing of past.

With the Passport Seva Kendra project, an e-governance initiative of the Union ministry of external affairs, launched at the Regional Passport Office here today, applicants can now avail all passport-related services through one website and obtain their passports within just three days.

Earlier, applicants used to wait for nearly three weeks to get their passport following police verification.

The Regional Passport Office, Bhubaneswar, which had only three counters to deal with passport-related services, will now have 16 such counters after implementation of the project.

The project, launched in public-private-partnership mode with technical support from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), will also ensure issuance of tatkal passports in a day subject to police verification of the applicant.

The time required for police verification will also be drastically reduced with all the information going online between the police department and passport authorities. Earlier, the departments used to take help of postal service for sharing information.

As a part of the project, a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) also started to function from the Regional Passport Office here from today.

The PSK, an initiative of the Union ministry of external affairs, aims at providing speedy service to passport applicants. The centre will have a front office managed by TCS staff where collection of biometric data will take place. On the other hand, passport officials will only verify documents and collect fees.

“With adequate manpower and sufficient counters, applicants will no longer have to wait in queues for applying for a passport. The new system also makes it mandatory to issue a passport within three days subjected to police verification,” said regional passport officer Padma Mohanty.

The applicants will be required to obtain a prior appointment for passport-related services. An application reference number (ARN) will also be generated prior to scheduling an appointment through the website of the passport department — www.passportindia.gov.in.

The applicant, with a valid appointment and ARN will then have to arrive at the PSK. As part of the new system, the presence of the applicant is mandatory as fingerprints and photographs will be taken at the PSK.

The applicants can also avail various services, including application for new passport and renewal of old passports through the PSK.

The PSK will also provide miscellaneous services, including inclusion of the names of wife/husband, change in address or name and date and place of birth. For those who do not know how to use Internet, the PSK will have two kiosks managed by TCS employees.

First come, first served principle will be followed for ensuring the date of appointment. A source at the Regional Passport Office said no applications would be received without prior appointment. The PSK will also have improved amenities such as a baby care room, a phone booth and the provision of wheel chairs for differently-abled people. The Regional Passport Office, Bhubaneswar, which was set up in 1979, has issued as many as 53,000 passports in the last year.