Although the long queues for passports are primarily due to the mismanagement of previous governments, the Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) has pledged to clear all backlogs before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, according to an official.
A senior DIE official stated that the severe passport shortage in Sri Lanka stems from past administrative failures but assured that all queues would be eliminated within a month.
To address the crisis, the department plans to launch a 24-hour service as early as next week, with staff committed to working around the clock to meet public demand.
The official emphasized that, as the competent authority for passport issuance, it is the collective responsibility of all DIE staff to resolve the issue, despite its roots in political mismanagement.
While acknowledging that operating a 24-hour service with the existing workforce is a challenging task, the official noted that it pales in comparison to the hardships citizens have endured by waiting in queues for days.
