Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada District Congress Labour Cell president Lawrence D’Souza has urged the Union Ministry of External Affairs to establish a Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Dakshina Kannada, citing the growing demand for passport services in the coastal region and the increasing number of people travelling abroad for employment and education.
Speaking at a press conference at the Dakshina Kannada District Congress office, D’Souza said the district’s geographical spread, population and rising number of passport applicants made a dedicated regional office necessary. He said an RPO in the district would make passport-related administrative services more accessible and efficient for people across the coastal belt.
Demand for regional passport office
D’Souza said the workload at the Passport Seva Kendra in Dakshina Kannada has increased as more people from the region travel overseas for jobs, higher education and other purposes.
According to him, applicants from Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring districts often have to travel considerable distances to access passport-related services. Establishing an RPO in the district, he argued, would reduce the burden on applicants and improve the delivery of administrative services.
He also called for the establishment of additional Passport Seva Kendras in eight coastal and Malnad districts. The demand includes centres in districts such as Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu.
D’Souza said district-level passport service facilities would help applicants save both time and money, particularly those who currently need to travel outside their districts for various services.
Calls for feasibility study
D’Souza urged the Ministry of External Affairs to constitute a committee to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on establishing an RPO in Dakshina Kannada.
He said the study should consider passport-related data from the past five years to determine the actual workload and service requirements of the region.
The proposed assessment should include the number of new passports issued, renewal applications received, Tatkal passports issued, applications sent for police verification, pending applications and the average time taken to process applications.
He suggested that the study should cover Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and neighbouring districts to provide a broader picture of the demand for passport services in the region.
Karnataka has one RPO, says D’Souza
D’Souza cited passport processing figures for 2025 to underline his demand.
According to the data cited by him, 10,01,273 applications were submitted to the Regional Passport Office in Karnataka in 2025, of which 9,85,831 passports were issued.
He compared these figures with passport processing in neighbouring southern states. In Kerala, Kochi received 6,90,398 applications and issued 6,84,434 passports, while Kozhikode received 7,42,250 applications and issued 7,37,984 passports.
In Tamil Nadu, Chennai received 5,62,003 applications and issued 5,47,410 passports. Coimbatore received 2,00,793 applications and issued 1,99,035 passports, while Madurai received 2,97,689 applications and issued 2,90,621 passports.
Comparison with Kerala and Tamil Nadu
D’Souza pointed out that Kerala and Tamil Nadu each have three Regional Passport Offices, while Karnataka has only one.
He also highlighted the difference in the number of Passport Seva Kendras. According to the figures cited at the press conference, Kerala has 19 Passport Seva Kendras and Tamil Nadu has 32, while Karnataka has five, including the centre serving Dakshina Kannada.
He argued that the figures demonstrate the need for Karnataka to expand its passport service infrastructure in line with the growing number of applications.
Despite Karnataka processing an average of around 10 lakh passports annually, the state has fewer regional offices and service centres compared with Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he said.
Coastal districts face travel burden
D’Souza said the geographical spread of coastal and Malnad Karnataka makes accessibility an important consideration while planning public services.
Applicants from districts such as Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru may have to travel considerable distances depending on the service they require. A network of additional Passport Seva Kendras, he said, would bring services closer to residents.
The demand is also linked to the large number of people from coastal Karnataka who travel overseas for employment and education. A more decentralised passport administration system could make appointments, document submission and other related processes more convenient for applicants.
MPs urged to take up issue
D’Souza urged MPs from Dakshina Kannada to raise the issue with the Union government and initiate steps towards establishing a Regional Passport Office in the coastal region.
He said the matter should be taken up with the Ministry of External Affairs and supported by relevant data demonstrating the increasing demand for passport services.
A detailed feasibility study, he added, would help the Centre assess whether Dakshina Kannada meets the requirements for a regional office and determine the infrastructure needed to support applicants from surrounding districts.
Congress leaders attend press conference
City Block Congress president B Prakash Salian and Congress leaders Shubhachandra Kolnadu, Neerajpal, Nityananda Shetty, John Montero and Wahab Kudroli were present at the press conference.
The demand for an RPO in Dakshina Kannada now puts the focus on the availability and distribution of passport infrastructure across Karnataka. If the proposal is considered by the Centre, the findings of a comprehensive feasibility study could help determine the need for expanding passport services in the coastal region.
For residents who regularly seek passports for overseas employment, education and travel, improved access to regional and district-level facilities could reduce travel requirements and make the process more convenient.