AGARTALA, Nov 23 (TIWN): Deputy Passport official Ashish Kumar Mirda said that the international Passport office centre likely to get inaugurated by January 2016.The much awaited project of opening an international passport centre at Tripura is likely to inaugurate by January 2016.However, the sources further said that the old AMC office at Jackson gate will be the new international passport centre at Agartala. The sources also confirmed that, Deputy Passport official Ashish Kumar Mirda also held a meeting with Chief Secretary Yash Pal singh and visited the old AMC office at Jackson and expressed satisfaction over the site for setting up the new passport office.If everything falls in the correct place the office will be inaugurated by January 2016 and 90 percent for office setting work is already complete.However, it is to be mentioned here that the decision of opening a new international passport centre at Agartala was conveyed to BJP Maha Jansampark observer Biplab Deb when he meet External affairs Minister Shushma Swaraj’s private secretary Satish Gupta at New Delhi. Union Ministry has approved the proposal of setting up an international passport centre at Agartala and the probability of setting up the office by November is high.According to the officials, except Guwahati there is no passport office in Northeast region but Tripura Passport Seva has been under Kolkata Regional Passport office because of better communication with Kolkata and the state government's choice.

However, the state had been demanding for an international passport centre in Agartala following growing demand of passport and high frequency of abroad travel by the people of the state.

It is to be mentioned here that after withdrawn of Indo-Bangladesh passport service, pressure for international passport has increased in many folds in Tripura and it has become inconvenient for the citizen to pursue for passport after submission of online applications. Moreover, Passport issuing authority is also facing trouble to get in touch with the applicants for immediate query but delay in communication in both side has ultimately interrupt the process.

Once the passport international office is opened at Agartala, people can get their passport within 20 days.  Currently the people of the state are facing huge trouble as there is no particular office for verification and hence the process gets delayed every time and sometimes the application is also cancelled. A passport is one of the most important forms of identification a person can possess. It is important to have a passport if you plan to travel to a different country so that you will be able to prove who you are and where you are from. Since travel security measures have increased it is almost impossible to travel without a passport.