Tatkal passport applications: Letters to the Editor

Tatkal passport applications

It is given to understand that an applicant can apply for a passport under the normal category at the newly launched Post Office Passport Sewa Kendras (POPSKs) and Passport Sewa Kendras (PSKs) across India. As also it is further given to understand that for Tatkal passport applications, an applicant can only approach any of the few select PSKs located within the State. Thus under present circumstances for an applicant, there is no possibility of applying for a Tatkal passport at any of post office passport sewa kendras located at respective post office premises.

The current non-availability of Tatkal appointments at POP-SKs is causing inconvenience to the applicants to otherwise apply for a Tatkal passport at the nearest passport issuing centre. Tatkal applicants are compelled to approach the nearest PSK centre located within the state. The move thus causes inconvenience to many Tatkal applicants owing to logistical factors and commuting distance to reach the PSK venue.

Hence the Consular, Passport and Visa Division of Ministry of External Affairs is kindly requested to initiate acceptance of Tatkal passport applications and allot appointments under Tatkal quota even for the applicants applying at Post Office Passport Sewa Kendras. The suggested positive move will further enable quicker processing of Tatkal applications at all POPSK centres and ensure a seamless Tatkal passport delivery to the applicants.

Varun Dambal,

Bangalore-560072

Pilot grounded

After making lots of noises the blue-eyed boy of Rajasthan politics Sachin Pilot is grounded unceremoniously. His muted surrender to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was his personal choice or decision but the moot question is: why the electorates of Rajasthan were taken for a ride. The drama enacted during that period was not less than Sooraj Bharjatia's Bollywood blockbusters and the suspense was not less than Ram Gopal Varma's thriller but in the end it was a big damp squib. The exchequer of Rajasthan unfortunately had to bear a huge cost of this high-profile drama starting from 5 star hotel bills to transportation of the MLAs from one hotel/resort to another. This is the price of democracy we the gullible electorates have to pay. I guess our state which is going to have assembly elections in next 7 to 8 months is sure to witness some dramas in coming days. Already some of the anti-CAA protestors who were vouching for 'anchalikatabadi and jatiyotabadi' have joined two national parties throwing their regionalism ideology into the Brahmaputra.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Ambari, Guwahati.

Melange

It is delightful to read the articles being published in your esteemed weekly supplement titled 'Melange' as it covers the entire gamut of human aspects, including lifestyle, culture and creativity.

Above all, the supplement highlights the literary activities, culture and rituals of various ethnic communities which are very inspiring and encouraging for survival of community people. And the recent cover article in the Melange (Aug 23, 2020) about the renowned litterateur of Bishnpupriya Manipuri community DILS Lakshmindra Sinha is the right steps towards this direction. I extend my sincere thanks to the entire team of The Sentinel group, including Aiyushman Dutta for their dedicated works as scribes.

Ranjit Sinha

Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh

Congress crisis

The 135-year-old Congress party is nowadays facing leadership crisis again. In 2020 president Rahul Gandhi resigned from his position after the party's worst defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. The party has not attempted to come out of dependency on the Gandhi family and this situation weakens the party. As a consequence of the inactive leadership and non-coordination with states and workers, the party has also lost government in some states. The Congress is proving to be a complete failure to regain the trust of the general public in the country. The need of the hour is the party comes out of the fascination of the Gandhi family and elects a non-Gandhi president. This can be the right walk for the Congress party.

Amit Singh Kushwaha,

Satna (M.P.)

Teachers' awards

It will be unfair if the government's goodwill shown towards addressing the issues of teachers with the required promptness from time to time is not acknowledged. Every government has been giving due recognition every year to those teachers who have made outstanding contribution to the realm of education in the state by conferring on them the Best Teacher Award. But, quite regrettably, the private sector teachers, whose role has always been important in the transformation journey of the education sector in the state, are deprived of this honour. Undeniably, the dedication and commitment of these teachers have made remarkable achievement on the level of education and brought about 'historic change' in the field of education as well. They are also part and parcel of the education system like the government teachers. If the government is entitled to exert political influence over the private schools, one can hardly find a point why it can't consider choosing private sector teachers too, at least one every year, as an awardee.

Evidently, it is felt that these dedicated and dutiful teachers are being kept on the periphery of the education system. The renowned American philosopher of the pragmatist school, Sidney Hook says, 'The teacher is the heart of the educational system'. I fervently hope the minister will concerned realize that in order to keep the system functional, the 'heart' must be taken good care of. Teachers should be defined without any discrimination.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat

Cover story

We are happy that you have published a cover story on DILS Lakshmindra Sinha, a prominent personality in Bishnupriya Manipuri literature. Reading the Melange story on August 23, 2020, we have learnt the various aspects of his literary journey. Hoping that Melange will continue to unveil the literary personalities across the Northeast.

Santosh Sinha,

Karimganj, Assam.

Central team's visit

It is good to learn that a six-member central team led by Sandeep Poundrik, Joint Secretary (Mitigation), National Disaster Management Authority will visit some of the flood-affected districts of the State to make on-the-spot assessment of the damage done by the recent floods. The team will be in the state for three days when they will assess the damage of property, crops, roads, culverts and bridges and other assets, including the dykes. The Kaziranga National Park also suffered a major damage as 95 % of the park area was inundated by the floods, killing 18 rhinos and 135 other wild animals. The State government had already submitted an estimate for Rs. 2,300 crore as compensation from the Central government. We would request to the central team to assess the damage to recommend the amount as sought by the State government.

Bikash Barpujari,

Beltola, Guwahati