MADURAI: Taking charge as the new Regional Passport Officer (RPO) of Madurai region, B Vasanthan while addressing the media persons in Madurai, observed that the number of people applying for and obtaining passports has doubled in 2022 compared to 2021 during the post-Covid time.
He said the regional office issued around 1.51 lakh passports in 2021 as compared to nearly 2.27 lakh in 2022. On average, they give appointments for 1,295 persons per day and in most cases, they dispatch the passports of the applicants within three days after getting clearance from the police department.
Likewise, the applicants receive their passports within 15 days from the date of application, he said adding that there are some 6,000 applicants on hold due to various reasons, including unfavourable police reports. "Due to the high number of applicants from Madurai city, the police take more time for police verification within city limits," he added.
This apart, we have observed a higher number of applicants from Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram, and Devakottai POPSK (Post Office Passport Seva Kendra). The department has taken steps to make six more POPSKs online in the region," he said.