Port Blair, Aug. 12: The Chief Secretary, A & N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra  launched an end-to-end online solution https://pcs.andaman.gov.in for Port Clearance and berthing permission from Home Department and PMB for foreign vessels today in the presence of Secretary (Home), Secretary (IT), Secretary (Shipping) and Special Secretary (IT).

The portal will provide a platform to all the registered applicants to submit their request for berthing permission from Port Management Board well in advance. The details so entered will be scrutinized by respective agencies and if found complying to the conditions, the approval will be granted within 7 days which will be gradually reduced with experience. It will provide easy coordination between security agencies and other stakeholders, plug in the loopholes in the present procedure and help curb the procedural delay in the permission. This will obviate the need for the applicants to go to several Government agencies and manually chase it to expedite the approval. The portal also has built-in facility for express approval subject to fulfillment of certain conditions.

Thus, end-to-end online solution will not only streamline the process of permission, it will bring in necessary efficiency, transparency and accountability in the approval process.

Apart from, Home Department, the web portal connects 22 agencies like Port Management Board, A & N Command, Coast Guard, Police Marine Force, CID, Immigration/FRU, CISF Customs, Health, Forest, Tourism, ANIIDCO on a real time mode for prompt processing of request as per the Standard Operating Procedure. The portal has been developed for by IT Department with assistance from SOVTECH and DBRAIT.  The applicant will be able to track the status of his application online and it would be possible to fix accountability in case of any delay.

The entire process of end-to-end online solution was coordinated and piloted by Home Department. All the registered applicants and the other stakeholders will be provided training for two weeks. Thereafter, the Department will not entertain the manual mode of submitting request.