Hassle-free receipt of passports
Sunday, 25 November 2007
CORRUPTION in government offices in this country is a systemic problem. But the level of corruption varies from one office to another. The incidences of corruption are relatively high in the offices that handle issues involving the needs of the people coming from all sections of the society. The people have to spend extra amount to get things done in such offices. The Department of Passport and Immigration is one of such offices where the rich as well as the poor seeking passports have to make frequent visits. The hassles that a passport seeker had to undergo until recently are known well. The officials and employees there had developed an attitude as if they were making a great favour to citizens by issuing them passports. It had never occurred to them that those passport-seeking citizens are paying taxes to sustain a large number of government servants, the workforce in the passport office included.
The Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) published a research report a few months back about the level of corruption in Agargaon office of the passport office. It highlighted the sordid state of experience of a passport seeker, starting from the main entrance down to passport delivery desk. As the things were at that office, the on-duty police did not allow anyone of ordinary status to enter the premise without receiving some 'bakshis'; the dalals (middlemen) gheraoed him/her offering their services at an extra cost; Special Branch Police did not submit the clearance report unless their palms were greased adequately; and the clerks at the passport delivery desk deliberately failed to locate passport until they were paid speed money. According to the findings of the report by the TIB, the passport seekers were made to pay 'speed money' of about Tk. 210 million a year. The large part of that fund used to be pocketed by the officials and employees of the passport office and the rest by others, including police and middlemen.
Soon after its takeover of the power on January 11 last, the present interim administration started paying focused attention to some offices that deliver services to the people directly and tried to improve the situation there. The central passport office is one of those. The government with the help of the law enforcers has thrown the middlemen or 'dalals' out of the passport office premises, streamlined the system of passport delivery and fixed time-limit for the delivery of passport to the applicants concerned. As part of its efforts to easing the passport delivery system easier, the government has decided to allow a private sector bank to receive applications for passports and process the same in exchange for a fee of Tk. 200 each. Four branches of the said bank will receive the applications and make delivery of the passports after a specified period. Besides, the administration has also introduced a process of submitting applications for passports to seven post offices in Dhaka.
All these are welcome steps, considering the fact that the rush for new passports or renewal of the same is far greater in Dhaka than any other place of the country. However, to make things similarly hassle-free for the passport seekers in other major cities and towns, the government might consider involving a few more banks and general post offices in major cities and towns. But the authorities concerned, while making the process of passport issuance easier, need to be extra-careful in checking the possible abuse of the newly introduced facilities.
The Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) published a research report a few months back about the level of corruption in Agargaon office of the passport office. It highlighted the sordid state of experience of a passport seeker, starting from the main entrance down to passport delivery desk. As the things were at that office, the on-duty police did not allow anyone of ordinary status to enter the premise without receiving some 'bakshis'; the dalals (middlemen) gheraoed him/her offering their services at an extra cost; Special Branch Police did not submit the clearance report unless their palms were greased adequately; and the clerks at the passport delivery desk deliberately failed to locate passport until they were paid speed money. According to the findings of the report by the TIB, the passport seekers were made to pay 'speed money' of about Tk. 210 million a year. The large part of that fund used to be pocketed by the officials and employees of the passport office and the rest by others, including police and middlemen.
Soon after its takeover of the power on January 11 last, the present interim administration started paying focused attention to some offices that deliver services to the people directly and tried to improve the situation there. The central passport office is one of those. The government with the help of the law enforcers has thrown the middlemen or 'dalals' out of the passport office premises, streamlined the system of passport delivery and fixed time-limit for the delivery of passport to the applicants concerned. As part of its efforts to easing the passport delivery system easier, the government has decided to allow a private sector bank to receive applications for passports and process the same in exchange for a fee of Tk. 200 each. Four branches of the said bank will receive the applications and make delivery of the passports after a specified period. Besides, the administration has also introduced a process of submitting applications for passports to seven post offices in Dhaka.
All these are welcome steps, considering the fact that the rush for new passports or renewal of the same is far greater in Dhaka than any other place of the country. However, to make things similarly hassle-free for the passport seekers in other major cities and towns, the government might consider involving a few more banks and general post offices in major cities and towns. But the authorities concerned, while making the process of passport issuance easier, need to be extra-careful in checking the possible abuse of the newly introduced facilities.