Ahmedabad Regional Passport Office issued 1.46 lakh passports between January 1 and April 7

The Ahmedabad Regional Passport Office (RPO) issued 1.46 lakh passports between January 1 and April 7. The office received 1.54 lakh applications in that period. Appointments are now available within 24 hours of filing an application because the RPO works even on Saturdays.

Wren Mishra, Ahmedabad's regional passport officer, said that the wait time for appointments has been reduced and the number of passports issued has increased. Mishra said that the staff work on holidays, especially Saturdays. He said that over the past 10 months, the staff have worked on 14 Saturdays and this helped the Ahmedabad RPO dispose of applications quickly.

Mishra said that 94.8% of the applications received have been processed. He said that earlier applicants could make inquiries at the RPO only four days a week. But now inquiries can be made from Monday to Friday.

Officials at the RPO said that work has been expedited though the office is facing a staff shortage of 45%. The officials said that with Covid restrictions being eased by several countries last year, students and those looking to work abroad are making a beeline to the passport office. The rush led to a 33% rise in the number of passports issued by the Ahmedabad RPO in 2021 as compared to 2020.

The RPO issued 3.19 lakh passports in 2020 and the number rose to 4.23 lakh in 2021. From January to March this year, there has been an increase of 26% in the number of passports issued compared to the first three months of 2021.

The officials said that several employees had tested Covid positive in the second wave but the office remained open. Indeed, the Ahmedabad RPO received applicants from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra because it was among the few passport offices operational in the country in that period.