HYDERABAD: People of Hyderabad will soon have a reason to be happy as e-chip based passports will be made available to them.Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is mulling to issue e-Passports to all Indian citizens, with added security features. The decision was reached after it stayed locked in planning rooms for six years. The new feature will help in curb the problem fake passports and new security features will be in place, too.At present, the regional passport offices (RPO) in Telangana , are issuing passports within four to five days from the date of application. Officials said, once e-passports come in play, it will take the same time for RPOs to issue e-passports. This will be possible thanks to the new printers that the MEA has procured for all RPOs. Currently, the MEA issues passports with ‘ghost images,’ which launched in 2013.Initially, the MEA has chosen a few regional passport offices in the country to implement the new e-passports. These offices will be chosen based on the demand of passports these RPOs have. Hyderabad is one of the cities, it may be mentioned, where there is a huge demand for passports. “Applicants in Hyderabad will soon be able to get e-Passports, which will help them in submitting the passport without fear of any tampering” E Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, regional passport officer, Telangana, told TOI.According to a senior passport official, the MEA is coming up with new features in the passports, a chip with an advanced security system, will have all details including date of birth, name of father or husband of the applicant, in the newly introduced epassport. The e-passport will have higher paper quality and printing too. In case there is a bid to tamper the e-passport with another image of the original passport holder, a message alerting the passport office will be generated through a separate software system, the passport officer added.Passport seva kendras (PSKs) in Begumpet , Tolichowk and Ameerpet will accept new applications and issue e-passports.The post office passport seva kendras will also provide this facility.