Pune residents scramble as server glitch disrupts passport-related services across India

Passengers have expressed their inconvenience on X (formerly Twitter) from across the country. “My appointment for Tatkal passport renewal at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) Pune was cancelled at the last minute. And the next one which I am seeing on the portal is for the 13th of May. The reason being given is a technical issue,” said an applicant, Bhavya Jain.

Another resident of Pune, Omkar Inamdar, cited that the Pune’s Passport office server has been down for the last two days, and there is no proper communication from officials; even the TCS employees aren’t responding, he said.

“I had visited Passport Seva Kendra in Malad on Wednesday for Passport renewal but was turned away. Appointments shouldn’t be allowed during known downtimes. Rescheduling shouldn’t be at my expense,” Bhoomika Valani said on X.

Regional Passport Offices (RPO) have been struggling to address the issue. The Mumbai RPO authority posted on X, acknowledging the inconvenience. “Appointments for passport applications at all PSKs/ POPSKs under RPO Mumbai are suspended till Wednesday, 1 pm, due to server issues. Affected applicants may reschedule their appointment to a later date.”

The Mumbai RPO clarified that those applicants who already exhausted their three permitted rescheduling attempts would be allowed an additional appointment.

The passport office has not provided any timeline for when the system might be restored to full functionality, leaving applicants in uncertainty. This disruption comes at a particular time as many citizens prepare for summer travel and study abroad programs.

“We had no warning, no update. Just a printed paper saying systems are down across India,” complained applicant Mohammed Adil from Ghaziabad. “People traveled for hours, took leaves, skipped work just to be told at the gate that the passport system is down all over India. Is this how public services work?” he added.

Adding to all of this, a lack of basic facilities had left dozens of people waiting in extreme heat with no shade or water. The authorities at Pune PSK didn’t respond to multiple calls.