Kolkata passport verification for new applications will move away from police stations to the Security Control Organisation (SCO) from 1 October, as the Kolkata Police seeks to clear a backlog of around 42,000 applications by November.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand directed police stations to complete all passport-verification applications currently pending at station level by the end of November. Officers-in-charge have been asked to personally monitor the process, while divisional deputy commissioners will closely review progress.
Under the new arrangement, police stations will no longer receive fresh responsibility for verifying passport documents. Their immediate role will be limited to completing applications already pending with them. Divisional deputy commissioners will send weekly progress reports to Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters. These reports will record the number of files cleared at the beginning of the week and the number of applications still awaiting verification at its end.
Any issue requiring attention will have to be brought immediately to the notice of the additional commissioner responsible for passport-related work in the Special Branch. The order is intended to create a more closely monitored system for clearing the existing backlog while shifting new verification work to a specialised police unit.
At present, passport applications are handled jointly by the concerned police station and the SCO. The verification process includes checking copies of documents submitted with applications for new passports and passport renewals. These documents are sent to the authorities that issued them, and delays in receiving responses can extend the time required for verification.
Kolkata Police said the backlog has also grown because police-station officers are responsible for maintaining law and order and investigating crimes. Those duties can make it difficult for them to focus consistently on passport verification, particularly when document checks require follow-up with several issuing authorities.
Police stations have been involved in passport verification for nearly a decade. The latest order therefore changes the division of work within Kolkata’s public-service and policing system rather than simply adding another deadline for applicants. The SCO will now be responsible for handling new verification assignments, while station-level teams concentrate on reducing the existing queue.
A police officer quoted in the report said the transfer of responsibility to the SCO is expected to speed up document verification. The order does not specify how many applications the SCO will process each week or whether additional staff and systems will be deployed for the new responsibility.
The immediate administrative milestone is the completion of pending station-level applications by November. Weekly reporting to Lalbazar and monitoring by divisional deputy commissioners will determine how the police measure progress during the transition.
