Residents in remote Dadeldhura receive passports at their doorsteps

By Our Correspondent,Dadeldhura, Apr. 20: Residents of remote areas in Dadeldhura have started receiving their passports at home, saving both time and money.

Locals in Karali of Ward No. 6 of Parashuram Municipality, a rural settlement on the banks of the Mahakali River, said the new service had eased long-standing difficulties faced by people living in remote regions.

Nirmala Bohara of Karali had travelled for a full day to the District Administration Office in Khalanga to complete the online registration process for her passport. On Friday, however, she received the document at her home.

She said she was delighted to receive the passport without having to make another arduous journey to the district headquarters. The passport was delivered to her residence through the postal service by the District Administration Office, Dadeldhura.

Previously, residents from Karali had to spend around Rs. 2,000 on transport fares alone and endure a day-long journey to collect their passports in person.

“The journey to the district headquarters is long and costly,” Bohara said. “Receiving the passport at home has removed the burden of travel, expense and time. It has made life much easier for those of us living in remote villages.”

Other residents of the same village, including Bikram Bohara, Umesh Dhami and Amar Bahadur Dhami, have also received their passports at home.

Amar Dhami said applicants previously had to travel personally to the District Administration Office to collect the document. He added that people from remote areas often had to travel for nearly two days and spend between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000 to obtain their passports.

Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Koirala said the government had introduced the home delivery service in line with its policy of providing public services directly to citizens.

“We have begun implementing the policy of taking government services to people’s doorsteps,” he said. “Passport delivery through the postal office will continue.”

In the first phase, the District Administration Office has dispatched passports to 275 people through the postal network.

Bijaya Raj Ojha, head of the District Postal Office, said postal workers were currently delivering the passports sent a week ago either to the recipients themselves or to their family members.

He added that branch postal offices operate in all seven local levels of the district. Once passports are sent from the District Postal Office to those branches, staff members then deliver them directly to residents’ homes.

Officials said the new postal passport delivery service was expected to improve access for citizens while making public service delivery more effective.