Students jittery as PSKs clamp down on tatkal passport appointments

Hyderabad: The ongoing delay in tatkal passport appointments at Hyderabad's Ameerpet and Begumpet passport seva kendras (PSKs) has raised concerns among those planning to pursue higher education or work abroad. With over three weeks of waiting already in effect, prospective students and educational consultancies are worried about missing the August intake window to foreign universities if they do not have their passports in time. Currently, the earliest tatkal appointments are available only in the second week of April."Students, especially for the upcoming August intake, are going to decide now after the global scenario stabilises. For them, the first step is to go for a passport. If passport processing is delayed, they might miss this window," says Arvind Manduva, a city-based educational consultant.The situation has forced many applicants to explore alternatives, including travelling to smaller cities for appointments. "In Hyderabad centre, we do not have enough slots. They are taking up some other slots to places like Nizamabad and Karimnagar, and people have to travel there to get it done," explained Sahas Yuvraj, another consultant.Yuvraj shared a recent case highlighting the impact of these delays: "A UK-based NRI got married, but his wife does not have a passport. They are trying to apply with their marriage certificate, but there are no slots available. They have been waiting for 3-4 days, and now they are forced to go for a change of plans."However, the Regional Passport Office has issued a clarification regarding the reduced appointment availability. Hyderabad's Regional Passport Officer, Snehaja Jonnalagadda, explained, "We are in the process of system migration, because of which we have reduced the number of appointments. We are running at 75% capacity." She assured that the situation is temporary and should improve soon."We are rescheduling appointments and hope it will be solved in a week or two," Snehaja added. "If there is an emergency, they can write us a mail or come to our office, and we'll solve their grievances."