Two more Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) are set to become a reality in Malabar — one in Wayanad and another in Malappuram — following the decision of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to revive the five-year-old proposal.
While the MEA has a policy to establish either a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) or POPSK in every parliamentary constituency, Wayanad in north Kerala currently lacks such a facility, as does the Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency.
M. Rahees, the outgoing Regional Passport Officer of Kozhikode, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the plans were delayed due to the pandemic and software updates for passport offices nationwide. However, the new POPSK is expected to be up and running within a couple of months.
Currently, the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Kozhikode serves five districts: Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Mahe (Union Territory). PSKs are already operating in Kannur, Payyannur, Kozhikode, Vadakara, and Malappuram. Additionally, the first POPSK under the regional office became operational at the Kasaragod head post office six years ago.
The proposal to set up POPSKs in Wayanad and Ponnani arose when the RPO in Malappuram was merged with the RPO in Kozhikode in 2017.
Notably, Mr. Rahees said Kozhikode issued the highest number of passports among the three regional passport offices in Kerala surpassing those in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
In 2022, Kozhikode issued over 6.60 lakh passports and miscellaneous documents, marking the highest output in its history. In 2023, more than 5.20 lakh passports and miscellaneous documents were issued till date, poised to break the previous year’s record.
Mr. Rahees, an officer of the Indian Economic Service 2008 batch, was on deputation and joined as Deputy Passport Officer in Kozhikode in April 2017. Subsequently, he was elevated to Regional Passport Officer in March 2019. He will return to his parent department, the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi, from October 1.
He emphasised that RPO Kozhikode consistently ranked among the top 10 RPOs in the country in terms of passport issuance. Moreover, the backlog of passport applications was one of the lowest in the country, thanks to streamlined processes and a significant reduction in public grievances.
K. Arunmohan, an officer of Indian Information Service, 2014 batch will take over as new Regional Passport Officer.
