Hyderabad: A special passport drive will be conducted on May 9 to clear appointment pendency in Telangana, regional passport officer (RPO) J Snehaja said on Tuesday.Snehaja said 4,000 appointment slots would be opened across five Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs). Of these, 3,100 slots would be made available at Hyderabad PSKs in Begumpet, MGBS Metro and Raidurg, while Karimnagar and Nizamabad would get 450 slots each.Summer rush pushes cycle to 8-12 daysThe RPO said passport appointment pendency has increased due to the summer rush, with many people applying ahead of travel plans. The current appointment cycle was around 8 to 10 days, while at the Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad PSKs, it was around 8 to 12 days.She said the special Saturday working on May 9 is expected to reduce the appointment cycle by two to three days, bringing the waiting time down to 5 to 7 days after the drive. The slots will be released on Tuesday night, allowing applicants to book fresh appointments or reschedule existing ones. “This will also help applicants who can come only on weekends,” she said. Applicants can log in to www.passportindia.gov.in.Karimnagar PSK capacity to be doubledSnehaja said the recently relocated PSK at Karimnagar would increase its daily appointment capacity from May 4. The centre, which was currently handling 220 appointments a day, would handle 400 appointments daily.The number of normal appointments would go up from 160 to 310, Tatkal from 40 to 60, and police clearance certificate appointments from 20 to 30.She said the PSK operating from MGBS Metro station was doing well, and Telangana was the first state in the country to have such a facility. Thursday adalats were also helping dispose of 800 to 1,000 applications.Tatkal passports dispatched same dayThe RPO said Tatkal passports and passports in genuine medical emergency cases were being issued the same day.She clarified that passports were not handed over directly to applicants but were dispatched to their registered address. “The postal department is able to deliver passports within a day in Hyderabad and within three to four working days in rural areas,” she added.Police verification usually takes five to seven days. In Tatkal cases, verification was being done after passport issue. Snehaja advised applicants, who receive passports under Tatkal, to complete police verification before travelling or leaving their place of residence.She urged people to check the expiry date of their passports and not wait until the last moment before international travel. She said e-chip passports were now being issued for fresh and renewal cases, but existing old passports remain valid until renewal.Snehaja said summer holidays were driving increased demand for passports. She added that if demand continues to rise, additional special drive days might be scheduled.The email address of the Passport Office at Secunderabad has changed to rpo.hyderabad@cpo.gov.in. Applicants could contact the office on 040-27715333, 27715115 and 27806657 between 9.30am and 5.30pm. The WhatsApp number is 8121401532.
