THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police verification process for passports that used to take up to 20 days has now been reduced to four days in several districts following the implementation of e-VIP, an online police platform. The app that was successfully piloted in Malappuram district has been rolled out to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts. The other districts will be covered in a phased manner. According to police sources, the major advantage of the application is digital transfer and processing of the police verification documents. It is compatible with smartphones also.
"It has made the job of the police much easier as they could swiftly process each verification," said an official of the police special branch. The online application also enables the applicants to check the status of the police verification process on the portal evip.keralapolice.gov.in. Sources at a regional passport office in the state said that the police should extend the app to all the districts to expedite the passport issuing process.
"At present, passports that do not require police verification could be processed and dispatched within 24 to 48 hours after receiving the application. Hence, if the police verification process could be completed in four days, such category of passports could also be issued within seven days," said an official. The speedy completion of passports could also earn additional revenue to the police department as the passport office gives a fee of Rs. 150 per application to the police for verification done within 21 days. If the report is submitted after 21 days, the fee would be only Rs 50. The police gives about 80 per cent of the reports within 21 days now.
