Making it easy and accessible

The hallmark of any efficient governance is the ease it brings in the matters related to public services. The officials who are keen on putting in place systems that ensure ease of business should really be appreciated for their public friendly behaviour. Somedays back a Public Grievance Cell was established at the CID headquarters in Srinagar to take care of the matters regarding passport verification cases and other related matters. Another such centre is to be established at CID headquarters Jammu.

This is really a commendable step and the officers of the concerned department who worked towards creating this facility need to be valued for their public friendly approach. In this era of technology government officials can really take advantage of the facilities now available, if only they have a will to do so, and they are concerned about the problems faced by the general masses. Given the global connectivity and the trend of people moving out of their countries for various reasons, passport has become almost everyone's essential document. In J&K we have people travelling abroad for million different reasons. We have young and enterprising people searching for business opportunities outside the country and for this they need passport.

We have students applying for admissions in global universities. We have a significant number of people undertaking pilgrimages to religious places outside the country. We have a class of people who travel to different places as tourists. Given these multiple reasons of people needing to move out of the country, the need for passport is not limited just to a small number. Besides, the passport is such an important document that almost all people want to have it, regardless of any immediate need to travel abroad.

Since all the cases of passport applications go through a mandatory process of verification, it was really needed that an efficient system of grievance redress was put in place. It is sure to bring ease to those whose cases get stuck for one reason or the other. Hence a welcome step. The government departments that simplify matters and make things accessible deserve to be acknowledged for their efforts.