20 Aug 11: The Regional Passport Office (RPO) has temporarily suspended all the applications submitted under the Tatkal scheme citing the reason that most of the applicants are submitting fake documents to get their passports. The officials have warned of taking criminal action against those applicants.
The police department has complained of many applicants submitting fake electoral photo identity card (EPIC) when the documents were verified. The RPO has received 340 applications under Tatkal scheme last week, of which 240 applications which submitted EPIC are being checked by RPO only and the remaining 100 are sent to the state election commission. The RPO officials have said that they will not accept any applications under this scheme until the issues of the present pending applications are resolved.
The officials are taking measures to verify these EPIC with State Election Commission and GHMC. It is also trying to check the ration cards and driving licenses with Civil Supplies Department and RTA respectively. A database of the SHO’s and Tahsildars who issue verification certificates is also expected to come up. If the respective departments declare that the produced documents are fake, then the RPO will lodge a criminal complaint against those applicants for submitting fake documents.
The passport officials have made it clear that the Tatkal applicants must submit EPIC, PAN card, driving license or birth certificate under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act and a verification certificate issued by an official of All India Services (AIS) as identity proofs for getting the passport.
Further, RPO has also opened an emergency counter which takes up the urgency cases where applicants when submit urgency proofs such as GRE/TOEFL certificate, employment letter, Haj and Umrah reasons, medical certificate will receive passports in a day or two. Another counter called VIP counter has also been opened where applicants coming up with references from MP’s, MLA’s and other officials can directly walk to the counter and submit their applications.
Source: Times of India