Passport agent ‘raj’ continues
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The opening of many independent Passport Seva Kendras in the city a few months back, primarily to eliminate the stranglehold of agents and brokers, has not achieved its objective. ‘Agent raj’ still predominates the passport office. The problem begins at the very first step, say applicants, who find it difficult to obtain even an appointment slot online and out of desperation, go to an agent, pay him a fee of Rs 2,000 and get the job done.
Juby Thomas, a first-year B. Tech student, was dismayed when she could not book an appointment slot for a relative for 16 consecutive days. Regional passport officer Srikar Reddy said, “We release slots for 15 days. If one fails to book a slot in any of the PSKs of the state, he/she can try the other branches. They can also come to my office personally, to redress their grievances.” However, Siddhanti Venkat Ramana, whose passport has not been dispatched even after six months of applying, said, “Meeting the passport officer is like a dream rarely fulfilled. The deputy passport officer, on the other hand, had no time to listen to my problems.”
Meanwhile, Mr Reddy added that applicants must have patience while filling online forms, instead of approaching agents. Officials spoken to also tended to wash their hands of the problem, saying that if people continued to prefer agents, they could do little to curb the menace.
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