Rude Staff, Poor Amenities: Your visit to Hubballi’s Passport Office could become a nightmare
HUBBALLI: People from different districts visit the Passport Seva Kendra, located at the IT Park here, to apply for passport and resolve passport-related issues. Most of them, however, hate its quality of service.
While some complain about the ‘rude’ behavior of the staff, a few others object to the sale of passport covers on the office premises even before the passport process begins.
Disappointed by the passport center, Ilyas, from Udupi, complained that the staff behave rudely with applicants. “They are literally treating us like dogs," he said, objecting to the sale of passport covers in the office. "They are confusing people and selling passport covers even before the passport process begins.”
One such visitor was Vikas Torgal, who had accompanied his wife to apply for her passport. He was not let in and had to find a place in the dirty corridor, which was filled with bird droppings.
"Though this is an IT Park, it is very dirty and filled with bird droppings. At the passport office space, there are no seating arrangements for people accompanying the applicants. They must have a bigger place," he said.
Asma Fazal, another applicant, had arrived at the passport office all the way from Bengaluru. The biggest challenge for her was how to take care of her two-year-old child who was left to play in the mud near the office premises. "They should have built a play area for children here. It’s become so difficult for me to manage my child," she lamented.
She continued: “We reached here in the morning itself, and there are still two hours to go. After that, my appointment will come. They (security guards at the passport office) are not even allowing us to use the washroom.”
Similar complaints were raised by Andria and Syed, who had also come from Bengaluru. They said that even drinking water was not available.
Arun Patil, from Gulbarga, said that the passport office must put up a notice about the documents required for the passport application. Further, women applicants must be let in along with their companions.
Staff Not Intentionally Rude: Assistant Passport Officer
When contacted, Assistant Passport Officer Saseendran P said that on average 450 applicants walk in every day. Handling such a large number of applicants is quite difficult for the staff here. Sometimes, they may get angry, but they do not intend to behave rudely with applicants, he maintained.
"Neither buying passport cover is mandatory nor is anybody forcing the applicants. It’s completely up to the applicants to buy it ," the officer clarified and promised to consult officials in the ministry of external affairs about putting up an information chart.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
