14 Feb 2018,
It has been 3 months since the passport expired and my response was lethargic to renew it. This laziness is attributed to naught stamps on the passport. You understand it right :-). It was total chaos when I applied passport for the first time. That chaos was never worth due to zero stampings :-(. Anyways, my father has been pestering to renew the passport and after long indolence, I finally applied for renewal. Here how it goes!
My appointment was due on 14th Feb at 12:45PM in Passport Seva Kendra (further referred to as PSK), Lalbagh, Bangalore. The online submission of application is quite simple. After paying the required amount, my slot was fixed on aforementioned timeline. I gathered all required documents with 2 set of photocopies.
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| THE CAMPUS |
Intention of passport renewal
(i) Expired within 3 yrs from date of expiry
(ii) Changing to Bangalore address
(iii) Addition of wife's name
What did I carry (Originals + 2 self-attested photocopies of each)
(i) Old passport (This can be proof for many attributes like validating parent's name and DOB. Probably it can be used for address proof as well if you want same address to be retained)
(ii) Aadhar card
(iii) PAN card
(iv) GAS connection bill (Carry if bills are from public sector company. Mine was from IOC. Carry three latest bills as precautionary measure)
(v) Matriculation certificate
(vi) B.Tech certificate
(vii) Marriage certificate (For inclusion of wife's name)
Note that you don't need to carry photographs unless minor is present (4yrs or below). In such cases carry a passport size photograph of minor with white background.
Additional notes
Please carry food and water if the appointment is during lunch time. The PSK does not have any canteen or snack shop to satisfy the stomach. Once you enter, it's a trap until the process concludes.
The SMS notifications will cost Rs.45/- extra. If you need protective cover for passport, additional amount needs to be paid depending on chosen quality. Both are optional. The fee needs to be paid at the "A" counter where the initial screening is conducted.
The parking space was full when I reached PSK. I had to park bike in Pay&Park facility which charged Rs.15/- per hour. That is exorbitant
looking at the condition of facility. It was open under Sun and dust
ridden. There was no choice as well :-(. The trouble is more for four
wheelers since the space is insufficient. I suggest to take a cab or
ride two-wheeler to avoid parking menace.
What was my plan?
My plan was to start early as 11AM and on completion, relish sumptuous South Indian meal at MTR once process ends. However, situations never wind up as predicted. The situation reversed due to reasons described further :D.
As planned, I set out at 11AM exactly. Before releasing the center stand of Shine, I had vague look at the google maps to get a feeling of current traffic. Expectedly, it showed ample red spots en-route and threw estimated time of 40mins in bike. Yes, the first bottleneck was none other than Hebbal flyover followed by Mekhri circle. The blistering heat was difficult to contain alongside burning carbon. The next one is chowdaiah circle and later planetarium. It was smooth ride later until the corporation signal arrived. Overall I reached destination with no route hassles exactly at 11:40AM. Thats what even maps predicted. Google maps bang on target! I chose Lalbagh PSK since it was nearest to my location and route was familiar to me.
The PSK is neatly organized and people were called on basis of batch number. Clear instructions were announced repeatedly to have self-attested photocopy of originals. My turn arrived at 1:20PM, a little later than the prescribed time. After checking all documents, token was issued for further processing. The electronic display boards efficiently display the counter numbers for you. Also, there is photocopy unit inside PSK, Lalbagh which people can make use of. It charges normal fee of Re.1 per copy.
There are three counters before you end your day in PSK. It is printed as
A-->B-->C-->EXIT in token. Section A consists of document verification and photo session. The staffs are cordial and check each and every documents you brought. They staple only the documents required for verification. In my case, it was self attested copies of old passport, gas connection bill, and marriage certificate. These documents are scanned and uploaded to passport database. Hence one need to carry self-attested photocopies of originals. Despite having all the required documents there is always a pinch of skepticism blowing on our mind. For me, it was bit intense due to the chaotic experiences of first time.
The section A was concluded in jiffy. Now comes the sluggish part. The sections B & C are scrutinized by government officials. The verification becomes stringent from now onwards and there are chances of rejection. It was the lunch time and the queue was lugging as most of officials were out for lunch. After a while, it picked up pace and the backlogs were swiftly cleared. It was around 2:40PM when my turn arrived for section B perusal. The verification was smooth lasting for few seconds. One surprise was that official asked for older bills as well which fortunately I possessed. By this time, my tummy was rumbling with hunger and famished soul was
desperate for food. I did not carry any eatables as well, not even water
:-(. The successful conclusion of section B cooled the nerves and I guzzled a glass of water before the final round call arrives.
The section C waiting time for mere 20mins. The process again was smooth and sailed in few seconds. Basically section B & C are verified by government officials at different levels. If the officials are not satisfied with documents submitted, you may need to have chat with APO (I assume). Once the section C is completed, it's all over :-). Proceed to the acknowledgement section and grab your copy.
The representative at Counter-A had informed me that change of address would trigger police verification additionally. Surprisingly, to me, the passport was issued with no police verification :-). It looks like it's the case with every renewal application which has change of address (citation needed). The acknowledgment clearly mentioned, "No Police verification needed". I was delighted after receiving an instant message from Passport center quoting my application has been initiated for print!!! Voila!! The passport process is streamlined to make consumer job easy. At the end of day after whopping 4hrs of patience culminated in desired results. It was time to relish some delicacies at MTR.
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| GOOD BYE OLD GUY! |
Below paragraphs may seem superfluous to readers. It is possible to skip anyways :-)
It was 3:50PM during my exit and parking authority would anyway charge me for 5hours. I decided to walk till MTR which is few meters away from PSK. Despite the famished soul, the taste of MTR added further resistance to my tummy! When I reached MTR, alas! the meal service was shut by 2:45PM. Nevertheless, there is more to savor here. I ordered masala dose, badam burfi and fruit salad to contain my hunger. Within minutes, the order arrived and it's time to devour. The badam burfee taste was not upto the mark of MTR but Masala dose was impeccable. The fruit-salad was garnished with variety of fruits blent with tasty soft ice cream. The items in MTR are served in traditional attire. Despite the city turning cosmopolitan, the grand buffet hotels can never surpass the legacy hotels like MTR :-).
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| TIME FOR YUMMY BREAK :-) |
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| BURFEE! |
Extra ghee provided in tiny container to smear over dosa, adds more taste :-).
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| VOILA!! SLURP!! |
The specialty of MTR is tasty filter coffee served in a silver tumbler. The exhaustion due to excruciating wait would tempt anyone to gulp a cup of delicious filtered coffee. The stroll from PSK to MTR under blistering Sun superseded the choice and I was in no mood to drink coffee. The fruit salad, garnished with range of fruits and blent with soft ice-cream was ideal choice to passively quiet the scorching heat.
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| YEAH! HERE YOU GO MY SUN :D |
After tasty snack treat, I bought a new branded helmet from helmet shop nearby MTR which was planned from long time. The new "ride crown" carries 2 years of warranty with it. There are numerous helmet shops along this stretch and consequently various brands to choose from!
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| NEW GLADIATOR OF MY HEAD! |
Once invigorated after having tasty food, it was time to head back to home. The return path too was battered by hefty traffic but the soul was calm due to successful outcome. A trundle bike ride of nearly an hour amidst traffic heck, and belching wagons lead me safely to home :-)
