Social audit cell opened in regional passport office at Chennai
24 Jan, 2015Delay in issue of passports is a contentious issue and calls for a public grievance redressal mechanism for speedy clearance of pending cases are not uncommon. As a measure to facilitate the applicants who seek a passport, the regional passport office of Chennai has opened a social audit cell, which will help them to conduct an audit of their passport applications. The social audit cell would be a one point contact for the applicants to obtain information about:
· The status of the passport application,
· Reasons for pendency or delay delay and
· Action required to be taken to expedite the process.
Apart from the above, the social audit cell would act as the single window for all the information guaranteed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. Applicants whose passports have been delayed can now approach the cell for help. The social audit cell shall help the applicant and provide the copies of documents such as,
· police verification reports or the remarks of the police,
· file notes of verification officer regarding applications on hold,
· details of previous passports, and
· details of lost passport etc.
Effective working of the social audit cell would empower applicants and enhance the transparent working of the passport office. Those who are using the facility at Chennai may like to send us the feedback.