Hyderabad: The Old City gets its first Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) at MGBS Metro Station in Chaderghat. Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar inaugurated the facility, further expanding passport services in Telangana. The minister said Telangana state has emerged as the fifth-highest state in the country in passport issuance, with the capacity to process around 4,500 passports daily.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Yadav, Hyderabad District Collector Hari Chandana Dasari, MLC Riaz-ul Hasan Effendi, and GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, Union Ministry Joint Secretary KG Srinivasa, were present on the occasion. It is the first PSK centre to open inside a metro station in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said that there are five PSKs in the state with Begumpet as the main office and the others are located in MGBS, Tolichowki, Nizamabad and Kareemnagar. The minister suggested increasing the capacity of the MGBS center from 750 to 1,200 slots to meet the demand and enhancing slots at the Karimnagar center from 250 to 500.

Ponnam Prabhakar emphasized that passports are as essential as Aadhaar, noting that while earlier many workers traveled to Gulf countries, today students and professionals are increasingly going abroad for education and employment. To be recognised as an Indian abroad, the passport is essential,” said the minister.

The PSK opened at the MGBS is not a new PSK, it was the centre which was located in Ameerpet has been shifted. Apart from this, the Tolichowki PSK moved to the Siri building at Raidurgam. Ponnam Prabhakar said the MGBS centre, being located at a key transport hub, will benefit people from different districts, providing easy access through metro and bus facilities. He urged staff to treat applicants with courtesy and called on the police department to expedite verification so that passports can be issued quickly. On this occasion, Asaduddin Owaisi lauded the setting up of the center in the Old city, highlighting the convenience of its location. He recalled the challenges faced when the Begumpet passport office was first set up in 1976 and noted that Hyderabad continues to rank among the top in passport issuance. Asad Owaisi urged the Telangana police to seep up the police verifications.

Meanwhile, Telangana IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu inaugurated another PSK in Raidurgam. The Minister on Tuesday urged the Union government to establish PSKs in Hyderabad to meet the growing demand from citizens. MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, MLC P Mahender Reddy, MLA Arikapudi Gandhi, Secunderabad RPO Snehaja, and other dignitaries were also present.

Sridhar Babu said Hyderabad is expanding rapidly in all directions, and with the city’s population steadily rising, there is a pressing need for enhanced public service infrastructure, particularly in the passport segment.