The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : 6 new passport offices for State

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Tuesday, Jun 08, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

6 new passport offices for State

Special Correspondent

Collection offices at 5 places to be upgraded, Cyberabad to have new facility

Decision aimed at easing heavy rush at the Regional Passport Office in Secunderabad
Special crime wing to be opened in Hyderabad to deal with economic offences: Home Minister

HYDERABAD: The Union Gvernment has agreed to convert the existing passport collection offices at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and Nizamabad and the extension office in Hyderabad into full-fledged passport offices. In addition, a full-fledged passport office will be set up at Cyberabad.

Passport rackets

This decision followed the State government's request for establishing additional passport offices as there was heavy rush at the Regional Passport Office in Secunderabad.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Monday, Home Minister P. Sabitha Reddy said some anti-social elements were running passport rackets, taking advantage of the inadequacy of the system to deliver passports in time. Eight persons were arrested in connection with one such racket unearthed recently.

She said that it was decided, at a meeting convened earlier in the day by Chief Minister K. Rosaiah to review the law and order situation, that a special crime wing would be opened in Hyderabad to deal with economic offences which were on rise these days.

She said the CID was expected to submit in four to five days its inquiry report on the violence in the Mahbubabad incidents.

Mrs. Sabitha Reddy said that as part of a new strategy adopted by the government to deal with left wing extremism, strenuous efforts would be made to provide jobs to youths in villages to wean them away from the influence of naxalites.

Various government departments would train youth to improve their skills to enable them get jobs. Also, welfare and developmental schemes would be given a thrust in rural areas.

At the same time, Mr Rosaiah wanted the police to be tough and swing into immediate action wherever the movement of naxalites were noticed.

He noted that the Maoist activity was now confined to the Orissa-Andhra border, spilling over to Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and East Godavari districts. Maoist activity, however, was less compared to last year.

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