Jeddah: The four Passport Seva Kendra, one Passport Laghu Seva Kendra and 14 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras operating in Telangana issued an average of 1200 passports per day in 2021 yet demand is high.
The case of NRI Ogula Ajay of Jagtial district, who hit headlines by winning Rs 30 crore jackpot in the Emirates Draw in Dubai exemplifies how Passport applicants patiently wait for their turn for slots in Hyderabad.
Ajay is lucky to win Rs. 30 crores draw in UAE but back home he is not so lucky, as his attempt to apply for passports for his family members to enable them to come to Dubai to share the happiness is turning out to be an uphill task. The family of the lucky winner has been desperately waiting for a slot to apply for passports in Hyderabad and other places in Telangana. But they finally went to Nagpur in Maharashtra to apply for the Passport as there were no slots available in Telangana.
Ajay, 31 years old, works as a driver in a diamond firm owned by Gujarati entrepreneur Mayank Pancholi in Dubai. In a first attempt at the insistence of his employer Pancholi to buy a raffle ticket, he hit the jackpot by winning 15 million Dirhams or equaling Rs. 30 crores.
“I wanted to share the joy and happiness along with my mother, sister, and brother in Dubai. They do not have passports and neither my mother nor sister ever dreamt of traveling abroad”, Ajay told this correspondent.
“I am lucky that I won a big prize money but unlucky to get a slot for Passports in Telangana”, he commented.
Ajay’s mother and sister were desperately trying for slots at Hyderabad and other places in Telangana to apply for the passports, he said, however, since it was fully booked they had to travel to Nagpur in Maharashtra to apply for the Passports. The big lottery winner has been waiting for passports for his family so he wanted to bring his mother and two siblings to Dubai.
“I wanted my family to accompany me when I wanted to meet my boss Mayank to express my gratitude for encouraging me to buy the ticket. Also, his guidance to start a new life in Dubai”, said Ajay.
“We are hailing from a poor family, not even 50 Dirhams remained in my account, as almost my entire salary remitted back home to settle debts” he added. Ajay has been in the Gulf for a decade before coming to Dubai, he worked in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar yet he does not own a house, though he started construction at the village but remained incomplete due to financial woes.
Despite financial constraints, Ajay is leading philanthropic activities back home in his village through a youth group called JAGO.
