Chennai: Regional passport officials issued 423 new passports on Saturday, allaying fears of those who lost their passports in the recent floods. The passport mela held on Saturday at three Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and the Regional Passport Office (RPO) saw people turning up from various districts for seeking re-issue of passports lost or damaged in the floods.
“Today we issued 423 passports to people, whose passport got lost or damaged in floods. The turnout was good,” said R. Uma Maheshwari, Deputy Passport Officer. She said there were cases of people wanting to fly out of the country urgently because jobs and medical reasons.
“A man from Mumbai was to join for his first job abroad and he lost his passport, we issued him a new passport across the counter,” she added. “There were other cases including that of an NRI stranded after the floods. He was also promptly issued a passport,” Uma said.
Passports were issued without any police enquiry depending on the immediacy of the case, officials said. There was confusion prevailing at the PSKs despite MEA releasing an official statement about the two-month long scheme for the issue of new passports in lieu of lost/ damaged ones.
Janarthan, an applicant who arrived at the Amjikarnai PSK with his son who lost his passport during the flood, said: “I want to get the application submitted today, as we have been told by officials that after today’s mela, the fee would be Rs 1,500.” Ziya, another applicant who had a damaged passport, said, “I have been asked to come with an FIR for a damaged passport.” His confusion was later cleared. The Nodal Officer at the RPO informed the staff at the PSK that there is no need for an applicant to furnish an FIR for a damaged passport.
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