Pulling up the Regional Passport Office (RPO), Bangalore, for delay in dispatching  passport to a complainant, the Bangalore Urban District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 on the RPO.

The forum was dealing with a complaint filed by one Mr K Narasimhaiah of Bangalore that the RPO had failed to dispatch his passport even after one year though he had submitted the passport for renewal on March 3, 2006. The regional PO stating that his file was closed on January 24, 2007, had asked the complainant to reapply for passport by remitting another Rs 1,000 as fee.

To the notice issued by the forum, the PO had only sent a written reply, stating that the renewed passport was dispatched to the complainant on March 23, 2007, and the same was returned without being delivered. Further, the complainant did not respond to a letter written to him to send a self addressed envelop with an explanation for not receiving the passport sent through the post. However, no one personally appeared before the forum to represent the regional PO despite issuance of notice and no material was produced in support of the claim that the passport was returned undelivered.

Following this, the forum has warned the PO to be more diligent in the discharge of their duty in future while issuing direction to dispatch the passport to the complainant immediately.