BJP, Shiv Sena leaders vie for passport office credit

Aurangabad: Leaders of both BJP and Shiv Sena tried their best to stake claim on the establishment of Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at inaugral funtion here on Tuesday.Speaking on the occasion, Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire reminded the about audience his efforts in bringing the passport facility in the city, while BJP MP from Jalna Raosaheb Danve spoke at length about his role in the endeavour. The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay high court had to intervene to make the long pending demand a reality. Khaire said that he had raised the issue in Parliament on several occasions. “Besides, I had also submitted memorandum to ministers in the previous government requesting them to set up the facility at the earliest. I was fighting for it as I was aware that many students and Haj pilgrims were having a tough time,” he said. Khaire further said that the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation had offered a space within the city limits to set up the facility. On the other hand, Danve said that external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had recently agreed to set up the centre after he raised the issue with her. “We have a system at the centre where a group of 20 MPs meet various ministers at regular intervals time and discuss about local issues. I have been consistently demanding passport office for the city,” he said. Danve also highlighted the various scheme of Narendra Modi government like Jan Dhan Yojana to show that the centre is an outcome of government’s efficiency. BJP senior leader and state assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde said that he had inaugurated a two-day camp in the city for passport applicants in 2016. In August 2016, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had paved way for establishment of the facility for the region. The court had directed the state government to submit a detailed proposal about providing infrastructure for the centre within two weeks. The court had also directed the central government to take a decision on state government’s proposal within four weeks of its submission.Many Haj pilgrims and students applying for higher studies had to travel all the way to Mumbai office for passports, which was both costly and time consuming. Besides, around 15 lakh domestic and 50,000 foreign tourists visit the city every year, thus making passport office a necessity in the city.