Hyderabad: Services at the regional passport office in Hyderabad experienced significant disruptions due to a software malfunction affecting the entire country recently.
Applicants attempting to schedule appointments through the Passport Seva website have encountered frequent crashes, complicating the process.
Regional Passport Officer (RPO), Snehaja Jonnalagadda, stated that they are resorting to manual processing of applications as a temporary measure, reported TOI. To facilitate rescheduling, applicants are advised to send their details via email between 4:30 pm and 5 pm.
The software issues are widespread, impacting various centres across India. In Hyderabad, the team is actively working to clear appointments at the regional passport office and accommodate emergencies through email rescheduling.
Additionally, the Passport Seva support helpline has recommended using Microsoft Edge instead of Google Chrome or the mobile app to improve user experience during this outage.
In 2023, Hyderabad Regional Passport Office (HRPO) smoothly issued over 7.85 lakh passports this year and is ranked fifth in India for the highest number of passports issued in 2023.
The RPO Hyderabad, run by the Ministry of External Affairs, issued 6.43 lakh passports in 2022 and 7.85 lakh in 2023, as per the press release issued on Friday.
According to the release, the RPO Hyderabad conducted special Saturday drives throughout the year that helped with the efficiency. These efforts were part of a larger national initiative, with RPOs across the country collectively issuing over 1.5 crore passports and related travel documents across all regions by November 2023.
