The government has announced a temporary shutdown of the Passport Seva online portal, a crucial platform for passport applications and renewals, due to a scheduled five-day maintenance. This maintenance will disrupt all new appointments, requiring rescheduling for those already booked. The portal will be unavailable from 8:00 PM IST on August 29th, 2024, until 6:00 AM IST on September 2nd, 2024.
Portal Maintenance Details Released
A notice on the Passport Seva portal confirmed the planned downtime, stating that the system would be offline for technical maintenance from August 29th, 2024, at 8:00 PM IST to September 2nd, 2024, at 6:00 AM IST. During this period, the portal will be inaccessible to citizens and various authorities. Those with appointments scheduled for August 30th, 2024, will have their slots rescheduled, and they will be informed accordingly.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that this shutdown is part of a routine maintenance procedure. A ministry official emphasized that contingency plans are in place to manage the rescheduling of appointments. The official explained that maintenance activities for public-facing services like the Passport Seva Kendras are always planned in advance to avoid significant inconvenience to the public. Therefore, rescheduling appointments during this period is not expected to pose any major challenges.
The Passport Seva portal is essential for citizens scheduling appointments at centers across the country, whether they are applying for a new passport or renewing an existing one. Typically, applicants must visit their designated passport center on the scheduled date to submit required documents for verification, followed by a police verification process before the passport is issued and sent to the applicant's address.
Applicants have two processing options: the regular mode, which typically takes 30-45 working days, and the Tatkaal mode, which offers a faster processing time. The temporary shutdown will impact all stages of this process, but the authorities are taking steps to minimize inconvenience for applicants.
The ministry has assured the public that this shutdown has been strategically planned to reduce disruption as much as possible. Clear communication will be maintained with all affected applicants, who will be notified about the rescheduling of their appointments in due course.
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