New RPO has his task cut out

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12

The new Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Sibash Kabiraj has his task cut out. He wants to end the pendency of passport files that are gathering dust due to one objection or the other. While making his mobile number public, he asked people to contact him directly if they are facing any king of harassment.

The passport department had cleared 3,000 files during a special drive on September 9. However, there are nearly 16,000 files that are still pending with the department.

Kabiraj, who took the charge of the RPO on September 1, said: “We have segregated the work in order to clear the pendency. Earlier, deputy passport officers were dealing with all kind of complaints. Now, one official will clear the file pertaining to anomaly in the certification issues, while other official will deal with a separate nature of complaint. This will make work less cumbersome.”

While appreciating the staff of the Regional Passport Office, Kabiraj said: “Every employee in the office is selflessly devoting one hour extra at work and clearing the pending files.”

Zero tolerance for gratification

Anyone involved in illegal gratification would not be spared. Besides a departmental inquiry, FIR would also be registered immediately against the culprit, said Kabiraj, a 1999-batch IPS officer.

Factors leading to huge rush of applications

Students from villages and small towns are making a beeline at the Regional Passport Office in Chandigarh following the amendment in the birth certificate clause of the passport rules. As per the previous guidelines of the Passport Rules, 1980, it was mandatory for all applicants born on or after January 26, 1989, to submit the birth certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB). However, the guidelines have been abolished following which there has been a rise in passport applications of youngsters from the rural areas who are looking forward for education visa. “Earlier, we used to receive 2,000 applications a day. But now the number has increased to 3,500 application per day,” said Kabiraj.

Manpower crisis

The Regional Passport Office is facing manpower crisis. Against the sanctioned strength of 127, the department is managing the work with merely 78 employees. Against 37 posts, there are only 11 passport granting officers who are clearing the files.

Call Your RPO: Sibash Kabiraj

Mobile nuber: 9729990006