Calcutta, Dec. 22: The passport department is creating 400 new slots for online appointments daily to address the rising demand in Bengal, where the number of applications this year went up by 25 per cent over 2011.

At present, there are 1,125 online appointment slots daily.

“The slots for online applications are going to be increased by 400 by February. This is being done mainly to counter the increasing demand for passports in the state,” regional passport officer (RPO) R. Sivakumar said.

According to official records, the passport department received 2.5 lakh online applications in Bengal this year and issued around 1.5 lakh passports.

To get an online appointment, an applicant has to log on to www.passportindia.gov.in and follow the steps mentioned. Once the applicant gets an appointment slot, he/she becomes eligible for a walk-in interview with a granting officer at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Kasba. Granting officers decide whether an applicant is eligible for a passport.

“If we go by the trend in the past few years, the number of applications is expected to rise further next year. It is good that the authorities are adding 400 slots per day, but even that will not be enough,” an official said.

The online application slots depend on the number of granting officers. Sources in the department said the number of granting officers was not adequate.

At present, there are eight granting officers at the Calcutta kendra and three at Behrampore. Of the 1,125 online application slots, 900 are in Calcutta and 225 at Behrampore.

“We have taken up the matter with the ministry of external affairs. It’s a long-term process but efforts are being made to bring in officials on central deputation,” a senior passport officer said.

The 400 additional slots are being created after three passport officers were promoted to the rank of granting officer. One of them will be posted in Behrampore and the other two other in Calcutta.

“On an average, a granting officer can attend to 130 applicants a day. If the number of granting officers is increased, the slots for online applications can also be increased,” a passport department official said.

Officials said the online application slots would increase further with the launch of five mini passport seva kendras across eastern India, including three in Bengal, by the end of next year.

“The first of them will come up in Gangtok in June. The other mini passport seva kendras will be built in Calcutta, Kharagpur, Siliguri and Agartala,” RPO Sivakumar said.