AHMEDABAD, NOV 16: * Gujarat University student Ashok Raval could not appear in an examination conducted by the British Council because he failed to receive a passport despite applying for it months in advance. ``It is mandatory to have the passport to take this examination. I applied for one in mid-July as the examination was scheduled in the last week of October. But I could not appear for it as I did not receive my passport in time,'' he rued.* A software engineer could not accept a job offer from a company in Canada, again, due to a delay in getting his passport. ``I got a job offer from a software company in Canada which asked me to join before November 1. Though I had applied for a passport in August, I did not get it in time,'' he said.While these are just two cases, several passport-seekers have seen opportunities go by as they did not receive their passports in time. And with no takers for the post of Regional Passport Officer, Gujarat, ever since it fell vacant following the arrest of former RPO J.R. Ambre, processing of applications has almost come to a halt, causing inconvenience to thousands of applicants across the state. Several other posts too are lying vacant and the situation was finally perceived serious enough for the Ministry of External Affairs to dispatch a senior official to take stock of the situation. He has assured officials here that additional staff will be arranged in two to three weeks.Presently, besides the post of RPO, 30 posts of Upper Division Clerks and two posts of Superintendents are lying vacant. Though one Superintendent, Daniel Christian, has been working overtime to execute the duties of RPO, sources in the MEA said that presently, passport applications submitted before July 10 are being processed to clear the four-month backlog.The CBI arrested Ambre in connection with the passport racket on September 15 and two superintendents and four clerks in the processing section had been arrested earlier. The officials were subsequently suspended. Surprisingly, even two months after Ambre's arrest, the MEA has failed to appoint someone to the post.Though Daniel was not available for comment, a senior official at the RPO confirmed that lack of staff was resulting in delay in processing passports. ``Earlier, we even used to get help of some reliable agents to process applications, but after the CBI crackdown, not a single agent or tout can be seen here,'' the official said, requesting anonymity.He also alleged that since September, MEA officials have been assuring them that the vacancies would be filled, but nothing had happened. Before the CBI investigation, six officials of the rank of Superintendent were posted here. Of these, two were suspended. ``Of the present strength of four Superintendents, two are working as Public Relations Officers, while Daniel is doing the duties of RPO. Only one is doing routine duty,'' the MEA official, who had rushed here, told The Indian Express.Sources said that some time ago, an IPS officer had agreed to take charge as RPO but backed out later.Long queues in front of the Regional Passport Office at Gulbai Tekra here have now become a regular feature. And till the MEA comes up with a solution, applicants will simply have to sweat it out.
