Postal delay robs passport prospect

I had applied for a passport on May 31 after spending the entire day queueing at the passport office and depositing Rs 1,000 as processing fee for the same. On November 9, I received a computer-generated letter, sent by ordinary post, asking me to submit a PP form at the office within a month, failing which my application would be cancelled. Surprisingly, the letter was dated August 22. That means it had taken two months and a half for the letter to reach me. I had provided my mobile phone number on the application form. Shouldn?t the passport office notify such important matters over phone, or at least send the document by courier/speed post? Apart from all the effort I had put in, the Rs 1,000 I had deposited was also wasted.

Bidya Ashok,
Dum Dum.

POINT   COUNTERPOINT

The applicant is supposed to fill up the PP form with his/her personal particulars and submit it to us. Usually, we send important documents to the applicants by speed post. Even if we have the phone numbers of the applicants with us, we don?t have the wherewithal to call up each of them regarding every issue. As of now, we are trying to respond to important e-mails and faxed letters from applicants through phone calls. It will take at least a year for us to put in place a system whereby applicants are called up in urgent matters.

M.K. Singh,
Regional Passport Officer.