Passport Seva Kendra lying closed for months

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 8

The Bathinda Post Office Passport Seva Kendra has been lying closed since March 23. As a result, people of this region have to visit Chandigarh to get their passport related work done.

Establishment of the Regional Passport Office (RPO) was a dream project of Union Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who got it operational in 2017.

Harjit Singh, a local resident said, “I went to the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra to renew passports of my parents, but found it closed. It’s lying shut since March 23. I have a vehicle and can travel to Chandigarh, but safety is my biggest concern. Passport offices in Chandigarh and Ludhiana have become operational again. Why is the Bathinda passport office non-functional?

Before the lockdown, 80-90 people used to visit the passport office daily in Bathinda.

Parshotam Das, post master, Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, said, “In the wake of the Covid 19, the passport seva kendra stopped operations in March. We will resume the services as soon as we get the directions.”