Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The number of passport applicants in the city has increased significantly and citizens who applied in January are getting interview appointments only in April.
Applicants have to wait as long as three months and those who need passports urgently are being forced to travel to other cities.
To resolve this problem, local people are demanding that additional counters be started at the passport office and that verification be conducted for at least 200 applicants daily instead of the current 85.
As per this year’s data, 18,693 citizens had received passports by the end of December 2025. However, citizens who submitted new applications in January 2026 are being given April 17, 2026, as the date for verification and interview.
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Currently, verification of only 85 applicants
The passport office is emphasising paperless operations through an online system. Applicants receive verification and interview details directly on their mobile phones. However, since only 85 applicants are being verified daily at present, citizens say that additional counters, staff, and technical infrastructure are required to clear the growing backlog.
Meanwhile, the increasing waiting period has caused growing frustration among citizens, and demands are intensifying for the immediate opening of additional counters and expansion of service capacity.
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Decision expected at central level
In view of the increasing number of applications, processes are underway at senior levels, including the Mumbai office of the Passport Department, to enhance technical systems, service facilities, and administrative authority. Decisions in this regard are expected at the central level.
(Asadulla Shaikh, Assistant Director, Postal Department)