The issuance of machine readable passports (MRPs) to expatriate Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia has suffered a setback as the project is getting delayed due to some technical glitches. However, officials in Dhaka said, the government is trying to get it fixed as soon as possible.
The country lacks an accurate data of Bangladeshi migrants. The introduction of MRPs is expected to solve the current visa-related difficulties faced by about one crore Bangladeshi workers abroad. About ninety per cent of them are currently staying in eight countries in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia being the highest number.
Unless the problem can be resolved within a short time, it will cause immense sufferings for the people who wish to travel to and from the country since the existing passports will not be accepted for immigration clearance after November, 2015.
Besides, non-resident Bangladeshis and migrant workers will suffer the most as they are unlikely to be able to replace their existing manual passports with the MRPs by then. It is feared that they may be stranded abroad.
The distribution of machine readable passports for Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia has already started and the process is in progress through four consular and labour services from Riyadh, Jeddah and two other places in Saudi Arabia, foreign office sources said yesterday.
Admitting that the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia has been failing to provide MRPs to the country’s expatriates for the time being, the sources said though there are officially around 25-30 lakh Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia, the figure might be much bigger. The Cabinet Purchase Committee has recently approved a Malaysian firm’s tender proposal for the distribution of machine readable passports (MRPs) among the expatriate Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia. The Malaysian firm, IRIS Corporation Berhad, will charge US$ 9 for providing each MRP to Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia in addition to the existing passport fee.
But the government will appoint the Malaysian firm for distributing MRPs among 1.5 million expatriate Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia. It is not clear how the rest of the expatriates in Saudi Arabia will get the MRPs.
However, foreign office sources said some of the expatriates in Saudi Arabia have already received MRPs. They recently returned home and went back to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry sources said of the country’s total 67 missions abroad, the authorities have already introduced MRPs at 41 missions to facilitate Bangladeshi migrants and workers abroad. The government introduced MRPs in the country on April 1, 2010, to speed up clearance and enhance travellers’ security. It will also remove the roadblock for workers willing to go abroad.
The government has taken the Malaysia project on a pilot basis. Upon its successful completion, it has a plan to spread the project in other countries where there are Bangladeshi migrant workers.
The Malaysia project faced the set back at the beginning as the company could not start the job within the stipulated timeframe. The job was contracted out to a private company Dataedge-i-people Consortium on February 12 on condition that they would start issuance of the MRPs within one month of the contract date.
Although the whole project was supposed to be implemented in 18 months, the company could not start its work as yet. By now four months have already passed, officials said, adding that “It is true the company could not start the job in time.
Sources said the Malaysian IRIS Corporation will receive 13.5 million (equivalent to Tk 105 crore) for the distribution of 15 million MRPs. Earlier, the government moved for providing MRPs among the Bangladeshi workers and other professionals living in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The initiative for MRP distribution among the Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia and other countries has been undertaken as part of the global compliance for MRP issuance by 2015.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has asked all the countries to ensure issuing of the MRPs among their citizens by March 2015 instead of the current manual passports.
