Hyderabad has become home to a first of its kind facility in the country, a fully functional passport service centre operating inside a metro station. The new centre has opened on the concourse level of the MGBS metro station, built around the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station and counted among the city's busiest transport hubs. Applicants from the Old City, the rest of Hyderabad and even neighbouring districts stand to benefit directly, since they will no longer need to travel to distant parts of the city for passport related work.
A Long-Standing Demand From The Old City
The decision by the Regional Passport Office in Hyderabad was not about adding just another counter, it was aimed at resolving a long standing and legitimate demand that residents of the Old City and south Hyderabad had been raising for years, that of having a passport office closer to home. Until now, applicants from this part of the city had to travel a long distance for document submission and interviews, which cost them considerable time and effort. Because MGBS combines both a bus depot and metro connectivity at one spot, it has now emerged as the most accessible location for applicants from across the city as well as from neighbouring districts.
Three Centres, One Major Reshuffle
Regional Passport Officer J. Snehaja said the move was meant to make the city's administrative setup more practical and efficient. Under the new arrangement, the busiest existing passport service centre, which was operating out of Aditya Trade Center in Ameerpet, has been shut down entirely and shifted to the MGBS metro station premises. In a similar move, the older centre in Tolichowki has been relocated to the Siri building at Raidurg, near Hi-Tech City. The main centre at Begumpet, however, will continue to function exactly as before, with no change made to it.
28 High-Tech Counters And World-Class Facilities
The new facility at MGBS has been developed with support from L&T Metro Rail. It has been specifically designed to handle the large number of applicants who arrive every day while cutting down their waiting time. The premises house a total of 28 high tech counters, allowing more applicants to be processed at once. A digital token system has been put in place so applicants no longer need to stand in long queues. The centre is also equipped with modern IT infrastructure, a spacious waiting area, a full network of CCTV cameras for security, and secure lockers where applicants can store their belongings.
A Template For Smarter Use Of Public Infrastructure
Housing a government service like a passport centre inside an existing piece of public infrastructure such as a metro station marks a fresh approach to planning such facilities. It removes the need to hunt for separate land or a separate building, and places the service at a spot that already has bus and metro connectivity built in. Hyderabad's move stands as a strong example of the smart use of public infrastructure and the integration of citizen centric services, one that could well serve as a model for other cities looking to bring administrative services closer to citizens.
