Sylhet Bureau :
Sylhet Divisional Passport Office has not been issuing passports as per applicants’ demand for over two months.
After filing applications in February last some passport seekers have not been able to receive their respective passports. The issuing passport to applicants have been declined owing to Machine Readable Passports (MRP) book shortage, it has been learnt from Sylhet Divisional Passport Office sources.
It has also been learnt further that owing to the absence of passports, incurable disease suffering patients cannot go abroad for emergency medical treatment, businessmen cannot go abroad owing the absence of passport, even those who have been aspiring to undergo higher education abroad are in verge of losing their admission in foreign universities too owing to the same reason.
Besides, Sylhet is an expatriate-studded division where out of over one crore population , more than 15 lakh have been staying abroad, including 5 lakh in Great Britain alone , while others in Middle East , America and others countries of the world.
The hundreds of expatriates sent visa to take their family members abroad on visit, but their visa processing is in verge of cancellation owing to non-availability of passports from Sylhet Divisional Passports Office .One Rafiqul Islam wants to go India for treatment. Cancer has been detected but he can not go to India for treatment owing to absence of passport. One Tofael Ahmed, a non-government university student applied for passport before two and a half months before but he is yet to get his desired passport.
As per passport Head Office Dhaka Citizen Charter, ordinary applicants should pay Taka three thousand through bank draft and after police-verification report, one can get his/ her passport within one month subject to availability of Police-verification report. After receiving Police-verification report, an ordinary passport is to be issued within fifteen working days.
On the other hand, an urgent passport seeker should pay Taka six thousand and after submission of police- verification report, the passport is to be issued within seven working days.
But visiting the spot, this correspondent could learnt neither urgent passport seekers nor ordinary ones can get the passport even after two months. The issuing of urgent passport number is quite thin.
A.K M Mazharul Islam, Director of Sylhet Divisional Passport and Visa Office said, the Bangladeshi expatiates who have been granted legacy, need new passport.
For this necessity, the demand of new passport has been increased, for which shortage of passport is existing. As a result, issuing passport has been delayed.
He said after receiving application with fees, files are being dispatched to Dhaka from where passport is being issued. If any delay is made in Dhaka, the passport seekers will have to wait.
He added the government has taken up an urgent programme to handle the situation.
Under this whirlwind programme, 50 lakh passport books are being brought here in Bangladesh from Britain to meet the crisis. The Director hoped, after receiving these passport books, the crisis will be over.
Sylhet Divisional Passport Office has not been issuing passports as per applicants’ demand for over two months.
After filing applications in February last some passport seekers have not been able to receive their respective passports. The issuing passport to applicants have been declined owing to Machine Readable Passports (MRP) book shortage, it has been learnt from Sylhet Divisional Passport Office sources.
It has also been learnt further that owing to the absence of passports, incurable disease suffering patients cannot go abroad for emergency medical treatment, businessmen cannot go abroad owing the absence of passport, even those who have been aspiring to undergo higher education abroad are in verge of losing their admission in foreign universities too owing to the same reason.
Besides, Sylhet is an expatriate-studded division where out of over one crore population , more than 15 lakh have been staying abroad, including 5 lakh in Great Britain alone , while others in Middle East , America and others countries of the world.
The hundreds of expatriates sent visa to take their family members abroad on visit, but their visa processing is in verge of cancellation owing to non-availability of passports from Sylhet Divisional Passports Office .One Rafiqul Islam wants to go India for treatment. Cancer has been detected but he can not go to India for treatment owing to absence of passport. One Tofael Ahmed, a non-government university student applied for passport before two and a half months before but he is yet to get his desired passport.
As per passport Head Office Dhaka Citizen Charter, ordinary applicants should pay Taka three thousand through bank draft and after police-verification report, one can get his/ her passport within one month subject to availability of Police-verification report. After receiving Police-verification report, an ordinary passport is to be issued within fifteen working days.
On the other hand, an urgent passport seeker should pay Taka six thousand and after submission of police- verification report, the passport is to be issued within seven working days.
But visiting the spot, this correspondent could learnt neither urgent passport seekers nor ordinary ones can get the passport even after two months. The issuing of urgent passport number is quite thin.
A.K M Mazharul Islam, Director of Sylhet Divisional Passport and Visa Office said, the Bangladeshi expatiates who have been granted legacy, need new passport.
For this necessity, the demand of new passport has been increased, for which shortage of passport is existing. As a result, issuing passport has been delayed.
He said after receiving application with fees, files are being dispatched to Dhaka from where passport is being issued. If any delay is made in Dhaka, the passport seekers will have to wait.
He added the government has taken up an urgent programme to handle the situation.
Under this whirlwind programme, 50 lakh passport books are being brought here in Bangladesh from Britain to meet the crisis. The Director hoped, after receiving these passport books, the crisis will be over.
