Nellore: Usually passport applicants are after field-level police officers of the special branch to obtain verification certificates to secure a passport. However, field level officers of the special branch in Nellore are after the applicants now to expedite the process.
The proactive approach led Nellore to bag second place in the state with respect to clearing applications within the stipulated 21 days time last month. The performance had fetched Rs 3.75 lakh incentive to the special branch from the passport wing.
Usually, the passport department pays Rs 50 for verification of each application and they even augment it by four times if the process is completed well in advance to encourage the police.
Incidentally, the district was in the last place among 18 passport verification centres of AP in clearing applications three months ago. Officials of the special branch attribute the turnaround to the counselling and motivation by Nellore district superintendent of police Gajarao Bhupal.
"The SP suggested to the field-level officers to think like parents of applicants and tell him how they feel if there is inordinate delay in obtaining a passport because of pending police verification and this had the desired change on the approach of the officers," a senior officer said.
Nellore district receives 1,200 applications on an average per month and they are being cleared within the stipulated timeframe now. In all 59,000 passport verifications have been cleared during the last three years in the district and it includes 15,507 till date in 2015.
There are no pending applications in November. Similarly, the special branch is also up to date with respect to background checks pertaining to those selected by state and central governments.
Special branch DSP N. Kota Reddy said that passport applicants can contact the special branch located in the SP bungalow in case of any delay in police verification and related grievances while assuring to address the issues without delay. "Though the stipulated time is 21 days our target is to clear verification in one week and applicants are free to approach anytime," he added.
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