New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- Passport verification in Kolkata will be centralised under the Security Control Organisation (SCO) from October 1, with police stations no longer handling verification of fresh passport applications.
According to an order issued by the Kolkata Police Commissioner on September 25, the SCO will take over all types of passport verification from
October 1. Police stations have been directed to clear all pending verification cases on priority by the end of November.
Officers-in-charge have been asked to personally monitor the disposal of pending cases and ensure that no verification remains unattended beyond the stipulated timeline.
Divisional deputy commissioners (DCs) will monitor the process in police stations under their jurisdiction and submit weekly police station-wise reports showing the number of passport verifications pending as on September 30, the number disposed of during each week and the number pending at the end of each week.
The weekly reports will continue through November to ensure that the backlog of passport verifications at police stations is cleared, according to the directive.
The joint commissioner of police (I) and DC, SCO, have also been directed to monitor the disposal of pending files and supervise the verification process.
Police sources said around 42,000 passport verification cases are currently pending with police stations. Each police station has a designated passport verification officer who handles document checks and visits applicants' homes to verify their details.
The officers have been handling passport verification alongside law-and-order duties and criminal investigations, which has contributed to delays, police sources said. The centralisation under the SCO is expected to bring the process under a dedicated setup.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.