The Bangalore Regional Passport Office processed 20 per cent more applications in 2012-13 financial year than the previous fiscal.

According to data released by the government, from April 2012 to April 2013 saw an increase from 30,500 to 36,500. For the period 2010- 2013, the number of passport applications went up by 43 per cent over the 2010 figures, according to the ministry data. The Passport Seva Project (PSP), an initiative of Ministry of External Affairs, is aimed at issuing passports quickly.

The ministry said that pending cases of police verification (PV) reports are estimated at 41,500 and has seen an increase in the percentage of completed PVs that are done within 21 days of passport applications.

L. Madan Kumar Reddy, Acting Regional Passport Officer, Bangalore, said: “In the last three years, we processed 11.75 lakh passport applications and issued 10.9 lakh passports.”

However, there are certain areas where these numbers still pale in comparison to other States, notably West Bengal. Since being operational in November 2011, there has been a 166 per cent increase in online police verification for passports, which is significantly higher than the numbers quoted by Bangalore office.

Also, while the Bangalore passport office has said that people aspiring to go to Haj pilgrimage will be given priority and their applications processed in a ‘minimum possible time-frame’, no details on the exact time frame was given.

The West Bengal government processed 10,000 cases of Haj pilgrimage applicants in the same time frame, according to the ministry data.

> venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in

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