With the persistent efforts of Punjab Cabinet Minister for Industries & Commerce, Investment Promotion and NRI Affairs Sanjeev Arora, the long-pending demand of Ludhiana residents has finally been fulfilled. The Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) office, which is currently operating from Akashdeep Complex, Gyan Singh Radewala Market, will be shifted to a more spacious and accessible location at Global Business Park, G.T. Road, near Jalandhar Bypass, Village Bhora, Ludhiana.
The new PSK facility will officially start operations from July 7, 2025, providing much-needed relief to passport applicants of the region.
Sanjeev Arora, who has previously served as a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), played a key role in persistently pursuing the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs. He had written several letters to the External Affairs Minister – the first one was written on February 3, 2023. In response to Arora’s letter dated February 3, 2023, the External Affairs Minister informed him on February 28, 2023 that the process of shifting the PSK to a suitable location was already underway. Later, Arora sent follow-up letters on March 17, October 29 and December 20 of the same year. His most recent follow-up letter was dated February 5, 2025, in which he strongly urged the Centre to take immediate action, citing inadequate infrastructure and inconvenient access at the existing PSK location. In his letter, Arora highlighted several serious concerns including the poor condition of the existing building, lack of parking facilities and inconvenient waiting area for citizens. He stressed that these issues were affecting the efficiency of services and causing hardship to the general public. His constant follow-up and dedicated representation finally bore fruit and the ministry gave the green signal for the shifting – a decision that will benefit a large number of residents of Ludhiana and surrounding areas.
Arora said, “I am very satisfied that my persistent efforts over the last two years have finally yielded results.” He further said that the earlier location was totally inadequate – it lacked infrastructure, parking space and even a respectable waiting area for citizens, adding, “I took up this matter with the Ministry of External Affairs not once but several times, as the people of Ludhiana deserve better than this.”
He hoped that the new facility at the Global Business Park would be much more accessible and citizen-friendly. He further hoped that this would significantly improve the overall passport service experience.
Concluding, he said, “I am committed to resolve such issues with the same sincerity and promptness.”
