- As per manifesto promise Omar must take up with GOI for Extending J&K origin persons Tatkal Passport facility& Eased Passport Verification
- Extending Tatkal facility in J&K in Passport issue rules will also shed some misconceptions about peace & stability in J&K
DAYA SAGAR
Governments all these years have been claiming for their relentless working ( of course they have been working too )for socio economic development of the subjects of J&K and for undoing the nefarious designs of the ‘foreign’ powers & their supporters from with in J&K as well and there is no doubt about the efforts made & reasonable successes achieved in that direction. No doubt much more may be needed to be done but one thing could be surely said that no body should ( and no one does) totally dismiss the positive status reports of the administration that are being regularly placed in the public domain as regards the status of return & stability in J&K, particularly over last two decades. But it has to be also admitted that there is utmost need for the civil society too for supporting the administration by working on ground through unofficial channels ,for medicating the undue social & emotional controversies generated over the years, as also is the need for the political cadres to shed their political plans that target only vote bank game plans. All internal negativities need be defeated as priority number one including any ideologies / political ambitions of some that appearhinting towards separatist opinion making even a bit of support which is otherwise is also must for fighting the external enemy forces .
Making outside people to feel, particularly those in the outside world , that J&K has by 2025 nearly returned to a stage where there are no separatist pressures on the local environment is the utmost need of the day for which more of ‘feels’ will have to be sent across also by the .Government too need to review &takie steps to wipe out any bit of otherwise impressions that may be radiating from some of the existing security related government policies / orders . For which actions like prioritizing self sponsored return of Kashmiri valley migrants&reviewing the over stretched security related policies like passport related to persons of J&K origin could be named so as to send positive messages to outsideworld worthshutting the windows open to the separatist anti India influences therebyby weakening the voice of anti elements.
Among the policies that unduly reflect to outside world that J&K is ‘seriously’ disturbed ‘state’ of India could be quoted the policy / rules regardingregarding receiving& processing the applications for grant of new passport / renewal renewal of passport / for obtaining any other facilty related to passport like additional pages that are applicable to the persons of J&K origin.
The Pass Port Seva PSPDivision , Ministry of External Affairs Goi Tatkaal Advisory says tatkaal facility is not available forPersons of Naga origin including minors (below 18 years) &Persons of Naga origin residing outside Nagaland ; and Persons of J&K origin including minors (below 18 years). This policy regarding Tatkal facility not being there for the persons of J&K origin even in 2025 sends very otherwise impressions to outside world as regards the civic environment / peace/ normalcy/ separatist activities that could be there inspite of the fact that the internal environment in J&K is very much of harmony with the separatist influences / environment pushed to the walls. Non availability of Tatkal facility for J&K residents not only sends wrong indications about J&K to outside world but it also puts persons of J&K origin to undue inconveniences and harassment .
Need is not only for extending TATKAL facility to the persons of J&K origin as is for others in India by payment of extra fee ( which should surely be extended immediately ) but need is also there to review and amend some other features as well so as to to simplify the procedures worth making the process of granting passport or passport related services faster and trouble free as the case may like in addition to extending Tatkal facility to persons of J&K origin government could also review some other rules also regarding issuing of new passports , renewing the passports of J&K residents.
Presently the provision of “Tatkaal” in relation to J&K origin persons is not there which surely sends negativemessage as regards the civic environment in J&K to outside world andso strangely the “Tatkaal’ facility is not available even for renewal of a passport even where no adverse observations are there in the records of foreign office .Non availability of Tatkal not only putsJ&K people to inconvenience but also sends negative message to outside world that “J&K’ is not in peace. Not only that a widely travelling / frequent traveler person of J&K origin in case requires requires additional pages with in the validity period of passport still not only the procedure as far issue of a new passport / renewal of passport is followed but even the tatkal facility is not available in such cases for for J&K ( here too one has to apply like a new passport for which routine physical police verification is done and the passport copy that is issued is only for the remaining period in some cases ( question here is in case all process is to be followed as for new passport why not issue the new copy with full period of 10 yrs or so ). Imagine the inconvenience caused to even a common citizen other than J&K persons also and the time lost more particularly with the style of bureaucratic procedure that ‘we’ are living in.
People could be very easily found running here and there for making enquiries about the verifications and in very very rare case the report may move from one office to another office in 1 to 2 days and in general cases people may be seen quoting that there reports have taken even a week to 10 days or even more to move from one office to another. There is no time limit mentioned for receipt of police verification report from the district police authorities after the reference is made by the Passport Seva Kendra which is not fair and there should be a limit mentioned( may be 4 weeks max) for issue of passport in case report is not received with in that time .
National Conference manifesto for 2024 elections to Legislative Assembly of J&K UT on page 11…… under the caption “RESTORING NORMALCY” has said (i) The JKNC is strongly committed to the dignified return andrehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits (ii) Eased Passport Verification: Ensure that passport verification procedures are simplified, removing hurdles and making it easier for people to obtain passports. And it is NC lead government in UT of J&K lead by Omar Abdullas and Omar Sahib should take lead in this direction.
Among other things it should also be considered (i) to ensure that the police verification channels are minimized so as to limit the quarry only for referring to the District Police SP which will also reduce load on the police force in case it is allowed even for sending clearance to Passport Officer direct by SSP itself instead of involving another higher office like CI D HQ where it may take some more days to move ahead , may be even 7 to 10 days as some people have been quoting . No doubt after physical police verification the Passport Seva Kendra issues passport in a couple daysby post, (ii) to allow the Passport Officer to issue without police verification additional page copy in case original is finished with in validity period and if there is no adverse entry on existing passport (ii) for renewal of passport wih no adverse remarks fix the time limit for verification as only 15 days . And ofcourse keeping the Tatkal facility there on fee basis with condition of post issue verification.
Union Government has also opined that over last 10 years J&K has moved steps ahead on the path of peace & stability so Omar Sahib must impress upon GOI to get the passport process simplified for residents of J&K like allowing Tatkal also for persons of J&K J&K which will reduce inconvenience to people of J&K origin and also undo any misconceptions about fairness of civil environment in J&K with the outside world. No doubt it would bring sanctity to election manifesto promises.
(The author is a Sr Journalist & a known analyst of J&K affairs)