Staff shortage grounds RPO

AHMEDABAD, Aug 18: With the number of people applying for passports drastically increasing every year and no move to increase staff at th...

AHMEDABAD, Aug 18: With the number of people applying for passports drastically increasing every year and no move to increase staff at the Regional Passport Office RPO, the RPO is finding it increasingly difficult to handle the enormous burden.

8220;Managing with a merely 80-member strong staff, including seven officers, can be very dangerous considering the fact that Gujarat is a sensitive border state where Pakistan8217;s ISI is said to be very active,8221; highly placed sources at the RPO told Express Newsline.

However, what adds to the risk factor is that RPO has been headless since long. Sources said the post of Regional Passport Officer has been lying vacant for the past 14 years and the public relations officer looks after the entire management of the RPO.

The sources said that while the number of passports issued by the RPO rose from 1,23,866 in 1997 to 1,53,773 in 1998, there had been no addition to its staff strength of 80. Stating that the RPO was in need of at least 20 more lower and upper division clerks besides two superintendents or PROs, the RPO officials said 15 daily-wage employees were handling their workload. According to officials, the Ministry of External Affairs allowed the RPO to appoint only 15 daily-wage employees each in 1997 and 1998 respectively.

8220;But the problem with this kind of an ad hoc arrangement is two-fold,8221; an official said, adding, 8220;Since we cannot allow the daily wagers to continue beyond three months, by the time they are fully trained, it is time for them to leave,8221; a senior official explained. 8220;It is owing to this factor that clearance of a passport, which should legally be issued within 35 to 40 days, takes more than two months,8221; another official pointed out. 8220;As a result, a large number of applicants visit our office everyday and we have on our hands yet another task of attending to them.8221;

Sources said several letters by senior officials in the RPO to their bosses in the Ministry of External Affairs had so far elicited no response.