The Regional Passport Office (RPO), Pune, has resolved as many as 1,360 passport-related grievances and cases through 14 open house programmes held since 2025. Of the 1,360 cases, 464 were resolved through four open houses in 2025 while the remaining 896 cases have been resolved through 10 such programmes held thus far in 2026. The open house is held on the first Wednesday of every month at the RPO Pune office at Baner. At the open house held on Wednesday, October 7, a total 84 different cases were resolved, with officials providing applicants direct guidance on documentation and procedures.
The latest open house primarily focused on applications pending on or before December 31, 2025. More than 300 applicants were invited for direct grievance redressal. The cases included court-related matters, name- and date-of-birth changes, single-parent and adoption cases, adverse police reports, document deficiencies and other procedural issues. Officials examined individual applications and advised applicants on the documents and steps required for further processing, with several cases resolved during the interaction.
Regional passport officer, Pune, Dr Vinod Gaikwad (IFS), said, “At today’s open house, around 100 applicants came forward with different queries. We primarily focused on applications that had been pending till December 31, 2025, particularly those involving document deficiencies. We addressed their issues and cleared several applications on the spot. Some applicants with applications from later periods also attended, and their queries were addressed.”
Gaikwad urged applicants to plan their applications in advance and ensure that they have the required documents. “I would request all passport applicants to apply at least six months in advance so that any urgency can be avoided. Before applying, applicants should check the document advisory on the passport website and ensure that all required documents are in order. The passport application process is simple and applicants should not use agents. The mobile application can also be used to complete the process,” he said.
Gaikwad said that the monthly open house is one of the RPO’s initiatives to provide efficient and transparent services. He also urged applicants facing difficulties to use the official grievance mechanism. “Applicants can send their queries and grievances to rpo.pune@cpo.gov.in rather than relying only on phone calls. We need the application details and records to properly examine a grievance. I personally monitor the calls and emails, and we ensure that emails are addressed within two to three working days and that every case is properly examined,” he said.
The Pune RPO, which caters to 12 districts, received nearly 5.9 lakh passport applications in 2025; while around 50,000 applications are received every month on an average. Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad account for a significant share of this demand, driven by the region’s expanding IT and industrial sectors, student population, employment opportunities, and increasing international mobility.
