Police Verification For Passports In 3 Days Now

The Cyberabad Police launched an expeditious passport verification system through the use of tablet PCs (tabs) at the Police Commissionerate on Monday.

Regional Passport officer Ashwini Sattaru, IG Intelligence Shivdhar Reddy and Cyberabad Commissioner of Police C V Anand launched the innovative programme.

The use of these tabs will help reduce the time for the Police Verification Check (PVC) needed for the issue of passports from 13 to three days, though the official time agreed upon is two days.

This is the first time in the country that such a system in being launched with such a short verification time.

Speaking on the occasion, Anand said that this was another step in providing better services to the citizens through the use of technology, and that technology served as a force multiplier and corruption controller.

He explained the process by which the use of tabs would enable the field SB officers to receive the application forms directly via the internet, verify at their level and directly upload to the CP's office without having to wait for their Friday weekly meetings to submit the hard copies of their verification reports.

The 70 Samsung tabs were bought at the cost of Rs. 16 lakhs through a tender.

Ashwini Sattaru launched the software by pressing a button, and said that the Ministry of External Affairs had set a target of issuing 1.25 crore passports, and it was only with the such use of modern technology by the Police that can such targets could be achieved.

She lauded the role of the Cyberabad Police in this matter.

The IG Intelligence said that the intelligence department would continue to be the nodal authority for such passport-related projects, and that Cyberabad was allotted this as a pilot project. He commended the Cyberabad SB staff, especially ACP S B Ravinder Reddy, who played a key role in developing this software.

AIG DGP Ramesh also participated in launching the program. (INN)