UNB, Dhaka :
Amid the rapid growth of courier business by private sector companies, a three-member License Issuing Authority has been set up to regulate and monitor courier services for improved competition, revenue collection and consumer protection.
The License Issuing Authority has been formed with Posts and Telecommunications Ministry Additional Secretary Dileep Kumar Das as its chairman.
Additional Director General of the Postal Department Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra will act as the member secretary of the authority while Deputy Secretary of the ministry Ishrat Ara Jahan as its member.
A law, The ‘Mailing Operator and Courier Service Rules, 2013’ on November 11, 2013, has already been formulated to give the operations of the national and international mailing operators and courier service providers working in Bangladesh a legal shape.
Under the rules, various types of mailing operators and courier service providers would be able to run their businesses with government
licenses and they are supposed to secure their licenses within three months of formulation of the rules.
Chairman of the License Issuing Authority Dileep Kumar Das hoped that around Tk 50 crore will be collected as license, agency permission and compensatory fees in the first year while the collection would gradually increase in the coming years with the license renewal process.
He said that, the License Issuing Authority would also have the jurisdiction of monitoring the operations of the mailing operators and courier services.
According to sources at the ministry, there are about 600 courier service providers having about one lakh agencies operating throughout the country.
Of the major duties and responsibilities, the License Issuing Authority would issue licenses to mailing operators and courier service providers alongside providing consent for agency operations, realising license, agency permission and other compensatory fees as set by the government working out its collection method, determining the standard of services provided by the mailing operators and courier service organisations as well as monitoring those.
It will also formulate necessary guidelines for improving the standards of courier service providers, the sources said. Besides, the License Issuing Authority will be entitled to impose administrative fines for violating the conditions of the licenses and can take necessary measures to realize those, inspecting the mailing operators and courier service providers and formulating related guidelines, honouring the highest mail sender clients, organizations and individuals as well as the highest standard providing mailing operators and courier service providers.
The Authority will also be able to adopt all necessary measures to ensure transparency and accountability of the mailing operators and courier service providers, providing necessary suggestions on the rules of Universal Postal Union, WARSHAW Convention, IATA, WCO, ICAO and WTO modern concept on International Post and Courier service, upgrading the standard of services, conducing researches for services development and imparting training.
The scope of business for each of the licensed mailing operator and courier service provider would be document service, parcel service, logistics service, delivery service, express service, specialised and premium postal service and other field of businesses approved by the government.
Under the rules, the mailing operators and courier service providers would be classified into three categories-domestic mailing operator and courier service provider, on-bard mailing operator and courier service provider and international mailing operator and courier service provider.
For the violation of license conditions, the License Issuing Authority could impose as administrative fine on the mailing operator or courier service provider concerned while the license could be withheld or cancelled if the violation of condition is repeated.
Some of the country’s renowned private sector courier services are Airborne, Aramex, Continental Courier Service, DHL, Easy Post, Federal Express, Sundarban Courier Service, SkyNet, Sonar Courier, TNT and United Parcel Service.
Amid the rapid growth of courier business by private sector companies, a three-member License Issuing Authority has been set up to regulate and monitor courier services for improved competition, revenue collection and consumer protection.
The License Issuing Authority has been formed with Posts and Telecommunications Ministry Additional Secretary Dileep Kumar Das as its chairman.
Additional Director General of the Postal Department Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra will act as the member secretary of the authority while Deputy Secretary of the ministry Ishrat Ara Jahan as its member.
A law, The ‘Mailing Operator and Courier Service Rules, 2013’ on November 11, 2013, has already been formulated to give the operations of the national and international mailing operators and courier service providers working in Bangladesh a legal shape.
Under the rules, various types of mailing operators and courier service providers would be able to run their businesses with government
licenses and they are supposed to secure their licenses within three months of formulation of the rules.
Chairman of the License Issuing Authority Dileep Kumar Das hoped that around Tk 50 crore will be collected as license, agency permission and compensatory fees in the first year while the collection would gradually increase in the coming years with the license renewal process.
He said that, the License Issuing Authority would also have the jurisdiction of monitoring the operations of the mailing operators and courier services.
According to sources at the ministry, there are about 600 courier service providers having about one lakh agencies operating throughout the country.
Of the major duties and responsibilities, the License Issuing Authority would issue licenses to mailing operators and courier service providers alongside providing consent for agency operations, realising license, agency permission and other compensatory fees as set by the government working out its collection method, determining the standard of services provided by the mailing operators and courier service organisations as well as monitoring those.
It will also formulate necessary guidelines for improving the standards of courier service providers, the sources said. Besides, the License Issuing Authority will be entitled to impose administrative fines for violating the conditions of the licenses and can take necessary measures to realize those, inspecting the mailing operators and courier service providers and formulating related guidelines, honouring the highest mail sender clients, organizations and individuals as well as the highest standard providing mailing operators and courier service providers.
The Authority will also be able to adopt all necessary measures to ensure transparency and accountability of the mailing operators and courier service providers, providing necessary suggestions on the rules of Universal Postal Union, WARSHAW Convention, IATA, WCO, ICAO and WTO modern concept on International Post and Courier service, upgrading the standard of services, conducing researches for services development and imparting training.
The scope of business for each of the licensed mailing operator and courier service provider would be document service, parcel service, logistics service, delivery service, express service, specialised and premium postal service and other field of businesses approved by the government.
Under the rules, the mailing operators and courier service providers would be classified into three categories-domestic mailing operator and courier service provider, on-bard mailing operator and courier service provider and international mailing operator and courier service provider.
For the violation of license conditions, the License Issuing Authority could impose as administrative fine on the mailing operator or courier service provider concerned while the license could be withheld or cancelled if the violation of condition is repeated.
Some of the country’s renowned private sector courier services are Airborne, Aramex, Continental Courier Service, DHL, Easy Post, Federal Express, Sundarban Courier Service, SkyNet, Sonar Courier, TNT and United Parcel Service.
