Passport Office Before July End
With the construction works at the Corporation shopping complex on Avanashi Road nearing completion, the Coimbatore passport office is likely to be inaugurated before this month end. According to official sources, the Corporation authorities are giving final touches to the building and are expected to hand it over to the Regional Passport Office (RPO) authorities within a few days. The Regional Passport authorities from Chennai are expected to take a couple of days for putting in place the infrastructure and “the inauguration is likely before the end of July”, Regional Passport Officer (RPO), Chennai, Sumathi Ravichandran said.A passport office for the region is a long-felt need as people have to go to the RPO, Chennai. The construction of the 13,000-sq. ft. structure on the first floor of the shopping complex is almost complete . An elevator for the aged and physically challenged persons has been provided. The Corporation is expected to get more than Rs. 2 lakh every month as rent as per the Central Public Works Department rates.
The new passport office will handle all applications for fresh passport, renewal, tatkal, and requests for miscellaneous endorsements on passports. It will have the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Erode, Namakkal and Salem districts under its jurisdiction while Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri are likely to remain under the Chennai RPO because of equal distance. The Coimbatore passport office is also expected to lessen pressure on the Chennai RPO which at present is catering to passport seekers in northern as well as western Tamil Nadu.
