No more long trips to Leh, Srinagar: Kargil gets Post Office Passport Seva Kendra

Residents of Kargil in Ladakh will now have easier access to passport-related services with the inauguration of a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in the district on Wednesday.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh inaugurated the facility in the presence of Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, Member of Parliament Mohmad Haneefa Jan and other officials.

The new POPSK has been established under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Posts and Passport Seva. The centre is aimed at providing essential passport-related services closer to residents of the remote and geographically challenging region.

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Relief for residents travelling long distances

The opening of the Kargil centre is expected to provide significant relief to people who previously had to travel to Srinagar or other distant centres for passport-related work. The facility will particularly benefit students, professionals and residents travelling abroad for education, employment and other purposes.

The development also seeks to utilise the extensive postal network to provide citizen-centric services in remote and underserved parts of the country, making passport services more accessible and convenient.

LG Ladakh welcomes the new facility

The Ladakh Lieutenant Governor's official account welcomed the inauguration, describing it as an important step towards making essential services more accessible to people in the Union Territory.

In a post shared on Wednesday, the Ladakh LG's office said: "Joined Hon'ble MoS for External Affairs, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh Ji in inaugurating the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in Kargil, in the presence of Hon'ble CEC Kargil, Mond Jaffer Akhoon and Hon'ble MP Ladakh, Mohd Haneefa Jan. This is the second POPSK in Ladakh, after Leh, fulfilling the long-pending demand of the people of Ladakh."

The post further highlighted the benefits of the new centre for residents who earlier had to undertake long journeys for passport services.

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“This new facility will bring the essential passport-related services closer to our people, saving them the hassle of travelling to Leh or Srinagar for passport-related work. This facility will particularly benefit those undertaking Haj and other international pilgrimages, apart from education and job-related travels to other countries.”

The Ladakh Postal Division said the inauguration marks another milestone in expanding public-service infrastructure in the region. The initiative was led by Arvind Kher, Superintendent of Post Offices, Ladakh Postal Division.