Indian
Express: Chennai: Sunday, 01 February 2015.
Police
verification reports, file notes of the verification officer who placed a
passport on hold, details of previous or lost passports or any other query will
now be answered by a special Social Audit Cell officer at the main office of
the Regional Passport Office, Anna Salai, Chennai.
This facility
has been provided to empower applicants, especially from rural areas, and
enhance transparency. It will work from 9:30 am to 12:30 am on all days except
Tuesdays, without obtaining any special appointments.
“All information that is supposed to be
provided by the office as per the Right to Information (RTI) Act, would be
provided by the cell upon oral inquiry by applicants free of cost,” said
Regional Passport Officer K Balamurugan.
The
initiative, Balamurugan said, was taken based on his experiences as passport
officer, Tiruchy.
“Many rural
or illiterate persons who are unable to file RTIs were under the mercy of touts
or agents. They would take the tout’s word instead of the passport officer’s.
This process will allow them to get all necessary documents based on oral
enquiry,” he said. In addition, those with long-pending applications could meet
the Deputy Passport Officer or Regional Passport Officer and air their
grievances on all working days from 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., except Tuesdays.
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