Strike by passport officials spells trouble for visitors

CHANDIGARH: Hundreds of visitors to the passport office were left in the lurch on Tuesday as the employees went on a strike during the working hours. The strike call by All India Passport Employees Association was observed in the first half of the day.
Due to no preemptive information, the applicants who had visited the office for the further processing of their files faced inconvenience.‘‘We are standing here since morning but the authorities don't seem to be bothered. I am not from the city and I would have to visit here again,'' said an applicant.
‘‘The employees are against the privatization of the passport system and have highlighted the irregularities. The ones with two to eight years of experience are being promoted to the same level by the ministry. The pay scale was also not hiked,'' said Pal Singh Gill, vice-president, All India Passport Employees Association.Targeting the private company, the employees claimed that the staff that dealt with the applicants at the initial level were not competent enough and did not have proper knowledge. ‘‘Files forwarded to us are sometimes incomplete due to which the applicants face harassment,'' he said.
APO Veena Khanna said, ‘‘The employees are demanding promotions as the superintendents who should be posted as APOs have been given the post of passport granting officers.'' Regional passport officer Vitul Kumar refused to comment on the issue as the dispute was between employees and the ministry.