To cut down the time in getting security clearance, the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in summer capital Srinagar is connecting the passport office with all the police stations across Kashmir through an online system.
A top official of the Ministry of External Affairs told Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com that on September 1, officials of the MEA will inaugurate the pilot project conceived by RPO Srinagar B B Nagar from central Kashmiri’s Ganderbal district.
Similarly, a project has been put in place in Leh where authorities are awaiting for the Ladakh police’s online app to go live.
Under Mr Nagar, who is moving back to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), his parent department, on Wednesday, the RPO Srinagar received the best passport award in the country.
His work was appreciated for his innovative work culture which involved reducing the time for the applicant’s first appointment from 35 days to just a single day.
He has pursued nearly 400 plus cases pending in Courts and got them cleared to issue passports to the aggrieved applicants.
Over 1 lakh hajjis were issued passports on priority during Mr Nagar’s tenure from 18 December 2017.
Even he brought a transparent work culture to the RPO by establishing a public redressal system, CCTV with audio, and giving the public direct access to the officers. He even established three POSPKs in Jammu and Kashmir.
Nagar thanked the Special DGP CID RR Swain and SSP Zahid Manhas for their cooperation during his tenure and especially in the pilot project which is being started from the Ganderbal district.
He asked the public to get in touch with official contact of RPO Kashmir and Ladakh on 9419050590.
The Ministry of External Affairs has assigned the additional Charge of Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Kashmir Division and Ladakh to RPO Jammu Nishith Kumar Shil as BB Nagar is moving back to his parent department.
Shil, a 2008 batch AIS officer who has already been holding the charge of Passport Officer, Jammu Division and Regional Director of Regional Office, ICCR, J&K and Ladakh, will assume the charge of RPO Srinagar with effect from 31/08/2022(AN) till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders. — (KDC)