2) Address Verification (Mumbai) :

I was told that my passport application might be rejected as they did not receive a report (which confirms that i live in the given address) from the police station near the place where i live. They suggested me to visit the police station and find the status.

Next day I went to “Borivali East” (the place where I lived) police station (that was the first time I to a police station in my life). Met the man in charge of address verification. We had trobule communicating with each other, as he couldn’t speak Hindi as well English(he knew only Marathi) and me not a single word in Marathi and a lady constable helped us (by acting as interpreter for 2-3 mins).

Without even asking my details (like my file number,date of my application, my name,address) he said that they haven't received my file. This annoyed me as he wasn’t a database and he can’t give such answers just by looking at my face. And another thing is I look very horrible with a front haircut in the photo I had given for the passport application. So, I insisted him to check the files. He refused to do so. Then, I went to the complaints officer of that police station and launched a complaint against him. After that he flipped all the 200 paper based files in 10mins (like a super human) without even looking at the files, he was mainly occupied in scolding me (luckily I didn’t knew Marathi ;-) ) and finally the answer from him was again the same.

I went to Commissioner of Police office again (Victoria Terminus). This time I took an off-peak hour train and it made a real difference. They told me that my file was sent to “Borivali – West” not “East”. I felt bad for the complaint i made against that police man (as it was his life and job) though he deserved it.

Again a visit to police station, but this time aother one (Borivali - West) and couldn’t meet the police incharge of address verification for 3-4 days. Finally I met him one evening and he was a nice gentle man (though he doesn't come to work weelky 2-3 days ;-) ) . He looked into his log book and located my file number. Surprise ;-) . As he felt my house is more close to Virar Police Station , he forwarded it there. Wow !!! I need to visit yet another police station. Great !!

One fine evening I hired an Auto and went to the Virar police station (though they said that this police station was near my house, i saw those roads for the first time). The station looked like a “Booth Bangalaw”. I lost all my hopes of finding my file there.

The man in-charge then opened a very old dusted trunk box which had and guess what my file WAS there. I guess they assumed that I might never go in there in search of it and put the file in that unused Box, but I did go ;-) They made me to run around for a week asking all the unnessary docuements. Actually, later i came to know that without bribing them they don’t clear the file. I guess , as I was a female and to top it I didn’t know their local language fluently so they hesistated to askthe money explicitly and I didn’t have a clue also that they might except money from me to pass this file further.

As they didn’t like me visiting them everyday asking about the file status, finally they cleared my file and forwarded it to the Commisoner of Police office and I visited COP office again and they confirmed me that they have received the file from Virar police station and they also assured me that they will pass the file to passport office in Dadar,Mumbai . I was happy that the headache with this passport was over and again made a stupid assumption they will issue a passport for me and I happily went on a month’s vacation to my hometown.

When I came back from, I had a another letter from the SAME COP office.... Details Soon………