According to the plan, private companies will be given the responsibility of handling the department’s IT operations and some aspects of dealing with applications.
The strike had been planned to continue for two days but was withdrawn barely three-and-a-half hours after it kicked in as news reached the city office that some of the demands would be looked into.
The office deals with applications from Bengal, Tripura and Sikkim.
“The strike was withdrawn at 1pm after we heard that some of our demands have been fulfilled,” said the spokesperson for the city unit of the All India Passport Employees Association.
The strike might have been short-lived but people who had come to submit applications or collect their passports, including many from far-flung areas, had to return without being able to get their work done.
“I have come to collect my daughter’s passport. The website says it’s ready. I had no clue about the strike,” said an elderly man from Hooghly.
Another man standing in front of a Tatkal counter said: “I am spending extra money to get my passport ready early. I am running against time as I need to visit the UK soon. Without the passport I can’t apply for visa.”