Thousands irked by DGIP database collapse

Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) passed the buck for system failure on Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). The database collapse in DGIP has caused problems for thousands of people throughout the country who visited passport offices on Tuesday.
Well-placed sources in DGIP revealed to Business Recorder that main cause of collapse was an over-burdened system. At present there is a backlog of 200,000 to 300,000 passports while the toll is increasing by 15,000 to 20,000 every day. Main cause in rise in backlog and system collapse is lack of proper equipment as the available printers and laminators with the capacity to produce over 30,000 passports daily are not in operation, sources said adding that the available printers and laminators are old and obsolete and no effort is being made to replace this outdated machinery
Sources further stated that the printers and laminators were provided by the US in 2004 and they have completed their operational life. Funds are being allocated every year for the purchase of necessary equipment and other machinery for printing of passports, but these purchases are not being made due to 'internal rift' in the department, sources further revealed. The database of the organisation remained shut for several hours and people seeking passports suffered throughout the country.
This scribe tried to contact the Director General of Passports, Wajid Bokhari and Director Headquarters but both did not respond to repeated telephone calls and text messages. Rao Imran, Director Information Technology (IT) of DGIP, when contacted by Business Recorder said that it was not a major fault and his team could overcome the issue. "Faults are part of the system as it is Information Technology based, however such technical faults are routinely dealt with successfully by the technical staff", he added.
He said that there is a connectivity problem with PTCL. However, the IT department was receiving data constantly from all over Pakistan and passports were processed throughout the day. Rao declined to respond to questions on the efficiency of the machinery, saying that he is not authorised to reply to these questions.