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The Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sh. E. Ahamed informed the Rajya Sabha today that approximately 1,57,527 passport applications are pending in 30 Passport Offices as on 15.4.2005. However, in Maharashtra State, the pendency is only 1245 in Mumbai, 1406 in Nagpur, 307 in Pune and Nil in Thane.
The Minister further added that with a view to decentralise the submission of passport applications, this Ministry has set up District Passport Cells (DPCs) in several districts in almost all the states. These DPCs function from the office of the District Magistrate or Superintendent of Police as per discretion/decision of the State Government. The DPCs receive the passport applications and after scrutinising them and having the police verification in respect of the applicant carried out forward the applications to the concerned Passport Office for further processing and issuance of passports. The opening of DPCs has not only taken the passport services closer to the public but also resulted in reducing the time taken for issuance of the Police Verification Reports.
Six DPCs are already functional in the state of Maharashtra viz. Dadar, Daman, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Aurangabad and Beed. Recently, to ease congestion in RPO Mumbai, four DPCs have been opened in Mumbai city at Bandra, Chembur, Crawford Market and Kandivili w.e.f. 04.04.2005.
This information was given by Shri Ahmed in reply to a question by Sh.Datta Meghe.
AK/SK/JA
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