Vijayawada: Hundreds of passport applicants are disappointed following a delay in the processing of their applications due to server and network problems at the Post Office Passport Seva Kendras across the southern states in recent days.
Andhra Pradesh has 24 passport issuing facilities. Of them, those located in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Bhimavaram are functioning normally while snags hold back work at the remaining facilities.
he POPSK in Rajahmundry schedules 60 applications for processing a day, either for issue of new passports or for renewal of the old. On Tuesday afternoon, officials said only five to six applications could be processed. Those who have been asked to come over for verification of original certificates were informed by the staff to wait for more time.
An employee with a private firm, Fariduddin, said, “We are planning a pilgrimage to Mecca along with my parents. We have submitted applications for passports. We were told there will be delay due to problems with the server and connectivity. This is urgent matter. So, we have been advised to visit Bhimavaram to get the applications processed there.”
The staff at POPSK said, “We have been facing issues since last Thursday and processed less than 10 applications out of 60 scheduled for a day for the last few days. We are telling people to reschedule their appointment.”
The regional passport authorities said they relied on BSNL-leased lines for all passport offices in the state and the network issues arose because of lack of maintenance of lines. To add to this, internet equipment like modems and others develop problems. However, the passport offices in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Bhimavaram are having separate lines and are not facing any problem.”
Meanwhile, those who intend to access the Passport Seva portal to reschedule their appointments complain about their inability to to do this due to difficulty in accessing the website.
Vijayawada regional passport officer Srinivasa Rao said, “We have trouble due to connectivity issues but there is no issue with the server. We are trying to set things right. Except for some delay in processing the applications, there is no serious trouble. We have received complaints from five passport facilities for the last four to five days.”
