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CHENNAI: The State government has approved 650 high-speed internet-enabled tablets to be issued for verification of passport applicants that will help the work to be done in three days. The Regional Passport Office (RPO) here would issue hand-held devices to police personnel involved in field-level verification, say diplomatic sources. The City Police usually take more than a week to complete the verification process that begins with the downloading of applications from the passport office. Field-level officers are given hard copies which they carry to the addresses to physically verify details of the applicant. They resubmit the applications to the police commissioner’s office which uploads the verified documents on to the passport office website. Using the new system, the field-level officers can access the applications on the tab and update the documents after verification, sources said. The commissioner’s office will send the same to the passport office. All tabs would have high-speed internet connection. Two Police personnel from the city police received training in Bengaluru last week on using the tab. The Ministry of external affairs is also planning to make Police verification an once-in-a-lifetime procedure. A passport which is to be reissued within three years will now not require Police verification. The Regional Passport office is also mulling the payment of 150 per application for the verification done by police which now go to the state exchequer. The RPO now wants this amount to go towards the police revenue as it would serve as an incentive for policemen who carry out the verification. Police personnel carrying out the verification will upload the details onto the passport office web site. A top MEA official said, “In the new system, the field-level police personnel involved in the passport verification process can directly see the application on their Tabs and, after finishing the verification, the application will be updated and the unit office sends the same to the passport office. The entire process takes three days’ time”.]]>
