App to make passport issuance faster in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Soon, your wait to get passports is going to get shorter, thanks to an initiative being pursued by the Regional Passport Office. Passport applicants across Karnataka can now expect to get their passports quicker in the future. An app that can simplify the police verification process — which is presently used only by Bengaluru police — will be rolled out across the state shortly.

While the police verification process in Bengaluru takes between seven and nine days presently, the same takes between 20 and 35 days in all other places in the state. Asked about a recent announcement that the police verification process had been done away with, Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Bharath Kumar Kuthati while speaking to The New Indian Express said, “The physical action of the cop visiting one’s doorsteps or asking the individual to visit the police station is not mandatory any more. However, police need to confirm the citizenship and the background of every individual in order to identify the criminal records. But, if they feel a personal home visit is necessary, police will still go ahead and do it.

The app will enable the police to upload the details on it from anywhere they choose to.” He added that the details need to be fed, uploaded to their higher ups and it will be sent to us.Kuthati said, “We are in talks with the state police to simplify the verification process by making use of a mobile app created exclusively for it. They plan to use it shortly. The passport issuance will naturally get faster.”

The ‘mPassport Police’ app, which is in use in Bengaluru since May 2016, has played a key role in speeding up the process, Kuthati said. The app can be accessed only by police personnel and just a few details of every applicant need to be cross-checked, which can be done through data available online.