SRIKAKULAM: The ordeals of Srikakulam people travelling all the way to Visakhapatnam for applying for passports and their renewals will be a thing of past soon, as the decks have been cleared to make the services available in the district headquarters itself. Having got a go-ahead from the Centre, the Visakhapatnam regional passport office has initiated the works to offer the services like issuing of fresh passports and renewals of the existing ones in Srikakulam.
As part of the Central government’s move of setting up passport centres in collaboration with the Indian Post, a facility will run from temporary premises at the Srikakulam district head post office. If all goes well, the centre will start functioning in the next few days. “A Post Office Passport Seva Kendra will run from Srikakulam in the next few days. Apart from offering services including receiving applications for fresh passports and renewal among the others, the centre will run as a collection centre under the purview of the Visakhapatnam regional passport office.
After collecting the documents from applicants, the centre will forward the same to the regional passport office,” said Visakhapatnam regional passport officer NLP Chowdary. The passport authorities have written to the Srikakulam MP seeking alloment of time for the inauguration of the Passport Seva Kendra in Srikakulam. Meanwhile, a test run is being conducted from the centre, he added.