All set for opening of the Ludhiana passport office next month

LUDHIANA, June 25: The passport office at Ludhiana is all set to start working within a fortnight as all the infrastructure and arrangements have been put to place at the local office near Rarewala Market adjacent to Bus Stand. Ludhiana MP and the national spokesperson of the All India Congress Committee Manish Tewari accompanied by the Regional Passport Officer Chandigarh, Vithul Kumar today reviewed the final arrangements being worked out for the timely inauguration.

Tewari was told by the passport officials that the Ludhiana Passport Office will be operated by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and would be headed by a passport officer from the ministry of external affairs. The passport office will provide all the services to the applicants under one roof. Tewari went around the office and inquired about all the services to be provided at the passport office to the people.

He was told that the whole process for an applicant to submit his application will take about an hour and there will not be much waiting. The entire passport office is centrally airconditioned with a lot of waiting area with comfortable seating arrangements. The refreshments are also available within the office premises. Besides, the MP was told, special escalating chair has been arranged for the old and disabled.

Briefing Tewari, the RPO Chandigarh Vithul Kumar and the TCS officials maintained that the Ludhiana office will cater to the people of whole of Punjab. It will be their discretion to go to Ludhiana office or to Chandigarh. This will also ease the heavy pressure being borne by the Chandigarh Passport Office, Kumar said.

Talking to reporters at the passport office after reviewing the arrangements, Tewari said, it was a long pending demand of the people not only from Ludhiana, but the surrounding areas as well that there should be a passport office here. He said, he was thankful to the Government of India and the External Affairs Minister in particular for providing the facility in Ludhiana. He expected that this facility will save people lot of trouble and harassment and they can get their passport at their doorsteps.

In reply to a query from the MP, the passport officials also sought to clarify that the genuine and authorized agents will be free to work as they had been doing till now. It will in no way hinder their existing work, the passport officials said.

Tewari was accompanied by party leaders including Malkiat Singh Dakha, Nahar Singh Gill, Pawan Dewan, Amarjeet Singh Tikka, Ashwani Sharma and others.


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