Technical glitch hits Chandigarh Passport Office, hundreds left stranded
A staffer at the Regional Passport Office in Chandigarh said that the server had been down since Wednesday morning, leading to the cancellation of appointments.
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Sharma’s alleged modus operandi involved getting crucial documentation from his customers, along with their financial details like credit card CVVs, on the pretext of booking their flight tickets.(Representational Image)Hundreds of passport applicants and their families were inconvenienced in Chandigarh on Wednesday as a server outage at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) disrupted operations at all Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (PoPSKs) under its jurisdiction.
“Due to technical issues, Passport / PCC / GEP appointments at all PSKs and PoPSKs under rpochandigarh are cancelled until 1 PM today (09-April). Applicants will be given an additional chance to reschedule. SMS notifications are being sent,” a message on the RPO Chandigarh’s X handle stated.
A staffer at the passport office confirmed that the server had been down since Wednesday morning and that technical teams were working to restore services. However, there was no clear timeline for when normal operations would resume.
The passport office, which operates from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5 pm, caters to applicants from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and nearby states. Many of them arrived early in the morning, hoping to complete their scheduled appointments, only to be left waiting outside.
Prakash, who had travelled from Fatehabad in Haryana, shared his frustration. “We were told to be at the passport office in Chandigarh at 9.30 am today, though we had an appointment for 3.45 pm. I received a phone call yesterday to be present on time, but now nobody is listening to us here, and we are told that the server is down,” Prakash said.
Saurav Sharma, a private passport service provider in Chandigarh, said he had anticipated the outage. “It was expected that the server would be down for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, so I have already taken new appointment dates for my clients for Friday,” Sharma said.
The ensuing chaos prompted local police to intervene. Inspector Satinder Kumar, the station house officer (SHO) of Sector 34 police station, said, “We had information since morning about a potential rush outside the passport office. Police teams were already deployed to maintain law and order.”
Sub-Inspector Kuldeep Singh, SHO of Industrial Area police station, added, “As of now, no complaint has been received from the Passport Office in the Industrial Area. Our teams are keeping a close watch.”
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