Re-issue of passport under Tatkal. I had an existing passport which I wanted to re-issue due to exhaustion of pages. There is a big difference between the procedure mentioned on the website and what is followed in the Lower Parel PSK in Mumbai. There are multiple issues:-
1) Insufficient information online / call centres: While the website list document requirements, the most important document for tatkal(Character/verification certificate) is not mentioned ANYWHERE on the PSK website or call centre.
2) Customer Service: I was made to wait 2 hours after entering the token area before it was told to me that I need to get the verification certificate in 1 hour time or I cant be processed under tatkaal. On pointing out that this requirement is not mentioned, I was told very rudely that it depends on Jurisdiction and I have no choice. Two points are relevant: - it is an INDIAN passport not mumbai/delhi/ or XYZ passport, second: it should be mentioned explicitly on the website that every region has their own policy!
3) Lane Cutting/Pulling Rank: After resigning myself to the normal processing time(which I was told is 25 odd days instead of the promised 3 days on the website) I applied under the normal route. At the processing stage, half-way thorugh(after spending 15 min) the Customer Service Executive Realised that the scanner is not working so I had to restart the whole process with someone else. Then I went to document verification(first step which worked painlessly apart from the wait). After that the granting zone turned out to be a torture zone.
Only 4 govt staff had showed up that day due to some train issues. And only 2 of them were in the granting zone out of which 1 was the APO. I spent 3 hours waiting in this stage for my turn in between which I could clearly identify cases of line cutting by a) income tax commissioner & his wife b) Some lady claiming to be a school teacher c) senior Tata employee(TCS is the pvt contractor in the PSK project). After a total of 6 hours waiting my turn finally came and they could not find my old passport on their records and were asking me to explain!how am I suppose to know the efficacy of their record keeping system!