Imphal PO re-opens passport counter

Imphal, October 20 : The Imphal Head Post Office has re-opened the facility of making passports.

Now, application forms for passports can be obtained and submitted to the office.

Talking to The Sangai Express, Postal Director Som Kamei said that application forms for passports have been made available at Imphal Head Post Office at the suggestion of senior citizens after communication with the Ministry of External Affairs.

Moreover, the Post Office has also started issuing passports after tying up with the regional passport office of Guwahati.

The same made available since last month, however, does not encompass provision for passport renewal.

"There are certain technical problems to add the facility renewal here", Som Kamei said.

Claiming that Manipur is the first state in the entire North East to distribute NREGS wages through post offices, Som Kamei asserted that it would be wrong to presume that post offices would not be able to handle NREGS wages even before opening accounts.

"There is no objection in opening accounts in the 53 sub-offices and 644 branch offices of Postal Department located in Manipur", he said.

The Postal Director assured that all necessary measures would be taken up.

"If there is shortage of staff or security concerns, the same would be addressed", he added.

So far the number of accounts opened in Post Office specifically for NREGS is 5219 for Bishnupur district, 4793 for Chandel, 4083 for Churachandpur, 34,097 for Imphal East, 50,299 for Imphal West, 4399 for Senapati, 92 for Tamenglong, 62,208 for Thoubal and 400 for Ukhrul district.

Till date, Post Office has distributed more than Rs 12 crores to NREGS job card holders, Som Kamei said.

Claiming that a new initiative named Project Arrow has been envisaged with a view to provide world class postal service at Imphal head office, Som Kamei said that the project would be activated in the last week of November or the first week of December.

Moreover, Imphal Head Post Office would have direct link with the Head Post Office of New Delhi.

It is reported that Project Arrow might be launched by Union Minister of State for Communications Sachin Pilot at Imphal.