MARGAO
Even as the Passport Seva Kendra was officially inaugurated at the district Collectorate here on Thursday months it had started issuing passports, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar on Thursday said that he has urged Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to depute a full-fledged passport officer for Goa, saying the Goa government is even ready to depute an officer to head the Goa passport office.
He further said that other amenities, including renewal of passports will gradually evolve at the Passport Seva Kendra at the South Goa Collectorate in the near future.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Passport Seva Kendra, Sawaikar said he has already taken up with the Union External Affairs Minister to depute a full-fledged passport officer to head the Goa passport officer. Presently, the Goa passport office is being looked after by the passport officer looking after Maharashtra and he shuttles between the two states for want of a full-fledged officer.
“I have been told that the passport office in Goa has no full-fledged passport officer due to some technical issues. To overcome these issues, I have suggested to the Centre to take a Goa government officer on loan till a permanent solution is worked out,” he added.
The South Goa MP thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai for their efforts to make the Passport Seva Kendra a reality.
Passport Officer T D Sharma said the days of long wait for a passport is finally over, with the administration now seeking online police verification report from the Police department. “Online police verification will cut down the time and help expeditious issuance of the passports,” he added.
District Collector Agnelo Fernandes, who had held the post of Passport Officer in the past, said the Passport Seva Kendra, which was set up many months ago, has come a long way in fulfilling the
aspirations of the people of South Goa.
He recalled that it was TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, who had approached him during his tenure as the passport officer to get a Passport Seva Kendra in Margao for the benefit of the people of Salcete in particular and South Goa in general.
