Allaying fears of the closure of Regional Passport Office here, a top official on Tuesday said that the office will function from a new building very soon.

“The passport office will continue to function from here. There have been rumours about the office being shifted to Tiruchirapalli. It is not true. The office will function from a new premises,” G. Sivakumar, who assumed charge as Regional Passport Officer on Monday, said.

Stating that the digitisation of police verification process of applicants was on the anvil, he said that verification will be carried out through a Tab being supplied to the police personnel. The simplified process of application was underutilised by the public, as passport could be obtained within four or five days by submitting Voter ID, Aadhaar, PAN card or even ration card.

A new WhatsApp helpline for reddressal of grievances has also been introduced and applicants will be able to download necessary documents using the electronic mode, the officer said.