Pune, 11 February 2026: At a passport camp organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ) at Patrakar Bhavan, Regional Passport Officer Dr Vinod Gaikwad said the number of passport applications in Pune has doubled over the past five years due to a sharp rise in foreign travel for education, employment and tourism.
Addressing journalists, Dr Gaikwad said the Pune Passport Office issued 4,72,966 passports last year. Between 2021 and 2025, the office received over 20.42 lakh applications and successfully issued passports to nearly 19.6 lakh applicants, achieving a distribution rate of 96 percent despite the rising workload.
He said the entire passport process is now fully digital, from appointment booking to final issuance. “If applicants submit complete and correct documents as per government norms, the process becomes smooth. Our goal is to issue passports within 30 days, but delays happen mainly due to document errors or pending police verification,” he said.
Dr Gaikwad warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence to create fake documents has emerged as a serious challenge. “Some applicants hide facts and submit forged documents. Such cases will now attract direct criminal action. We will not tolerate misuse of the system,” he said.
He also pointed out the growing popularity of the Tatkal passport service. Applications under the Tatkal category increased from 7,213 in 2021 to 85,897 in 2025, more than a tenfold rise in five years.
Responding to questions on how accused persons manage to obtain passports, Dr Gaikwad clarified that passports are issued only after police verification. “No passport is deliberately issued to a criminal. To prevent such incidents in the future, strict action will be taken against those who provide false information,” he said.
Following the passport case linked to accused Nilesh Ghaywal, the passport department has begun re-verifying addresses where police reports earlier stated that the applicant was not residing at the given location. Officials said this step is part of efforts to ensure that passports do not reach offenders through misrepresentation.
Dr Gaikwad added that the passport system works in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, and strengthening checks is essential to balance speed with national security.
