Passport office
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 02 2012:
In line with the Ministry of Home Affairs' earlier decision to open a Passport Seva Kendra in all the North Eastern States, the State Government has initiated due measures to open a passport office at Imphal.
This was stated by Home Minister Gaikhangam in response to a call attention motion raised by MLA Dr I Ibohalbi in the State Assembly today.
Raising the motion, Dr Ibohalbi said that 50 per cent of the applicants seeking passports at Guwahati regional office are Manipuris.
In the absence of a passport office at Imphal, many people are being forced to spend extra money in addition to enduring all kinds of inconveniences to go all the way to Guwahati.
Highlighting the need to obtain passport by students, sportspersons, artistes and businessmen, Dr Ibohalbi urged the Government to open a passport office at Imphal.
He also pointed out that passport offices have been already opened in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
As the process of obtaining demands credit cards, applicants can no longer apply for passports online which means the applicants must go all the way to Guwahati, Ibohalbi said.
In his response, Home Minister Gaikhangam admitted that people are facing lot of inconveniences in the process of obtaining passports without which they cannot travel to foreign countries.
The earlier practice of sending filled in forms has also been prohibited by the Home Ministry.
In view of all these factors, the State Government has made necessary preparations to open a passport office at Imphal in line with the Home Ministry's decision to open Passport Seva Kendra in all the Northeastern States.
Saying that the State Government would urge the Ministry to expedite the same process, Gaikhangam informed that six police officers would be sent for necessary training before the passport office is opened.