Hyderabad: The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Secunderabad, under the guidance of the Ministry of External Affairs is gearing up to hold a ‘Mega Passport Mela’ on May 9.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Regional Passport Officer (RPO) J. Snehaja stated that 4,000 appointments have been released across five passport centers within the state. Of these, 3,100 slots are available at the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) located in Rayadurgam, MGBS, and Begumpet. within the Hyderabad jurisdiction, while 900 slots are allocated to the PSKs in Nizamabad and Karimnagar.

She further added that those who have already booked a slot can participate in this mela by rescheduling their existing appointments, a statement read.

Increased demand for passports:

As a sustained capacity enhancement measure, PSK Karimnagar will witness a significant increase in capacity from May 4. The PSK will increase its daily appointment capacity from 220 to 400, covering services under Normal, Tatkaal and Police Clearance Certificate categories.

The special drive on May 9 is aimed at addressing increased demand for passports and reducing the current appointment cycle for normal appointments, which stands at 8-10 working days.

While 4,500 slots are being issued daily across the state, excluding the verification process, Tatkal passports are delivered within two days, and ordinary passports within a week. In emergency situations, we complete the entire passport process and hand it over within a single day.