Balurghat gets first Passport Seva Kendra

BALURGHAT: Balurghat people are extremely happy for the newly inaugurated Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) by local Trinamool MP and popular theatre personality Arpita Ghosh.

Visibly overjoyed for the newly launched PSK at Balurghat Head Post Office on Saturday by Ghosh, locals have showed gratitude to her.

"Passport is mandatory if anyone wants to go abroad for different essential purposes like education, medical assistance or holidays. Balurghat stands close to Bangladesh border and naturally the requirement for a passport is enormous. Earlier, people had to cover a long distance to Behrampur, around 300 km from here, for verification after online application. We are extremely happy to get the PSK. Our MP has done a great job," said a local, Ranjan Sen.

A college goer Subham Acharjee said: "The newly inaugurated PSK will remove the initial hazards permanently. Our MP is popular for various noble tasks in the region during her 5-year tenure and the PSK is her latest gift before Durga Puja."

Notably, Ghosh inaugurated the new PSK in Balurghat on Saturday. It has started functioning on the ground floor of Balurghat Head Post Office.

Inaugurating the PSK, she said: "It was a long standing demand of the locals. I raised the issue in the Parliament recently and received a green signal from the Ministry of External Affairs. This has been a festival gift from the MEA."

Initially, an official including a staff has been deployed at the office.

PSKs are extended wings of Passport Offices and it can cover the tasks of receiving applications from the applicant for the issuance of Passport and related services. It has been a part of e-Governance for the betterment of public services. The MEA launched Passport Seva Project in 2010 with best in class amenities throughout the country in PPP mode.

According to a source, PSKs are responsible to issue Passport for eligible Indian citizens. Balurghat PSK is among such 223 PSKs running across the country.

Eligible people have to apply for passport online. They will get information about their application status from the PSK. The verification process is also being done here and thus issues while getting a passport can be avoided. Within one month, they will receive Passport from here