Police verification in getting passport is still a hassle
I see no end in sight of the suffering of the passport seekers related to police clearance. Despite several steps taken by the authorities concerned, the scenario was no different in most cases. At present, the Department of Immigration and Passport issues machine-readable passports (MRP) in two categories – issuance of passport for regular delivery in 21 days and urgent delivery in seven days.
People get new passports by paying a regular fee of Tk 3,450 within stipulated 21 days while with emergency fee of Tk 6,900 people get their passport delivered within seven days.
A few days earlier, I had applied for a passport submitting all related documents along with fees for a regular issuance. Next week, I received a phone call from a police official. He asked me to meet him at a selected place for some discussion related to verification. I politely requested him to come to my house and see my condition in his own eyes. But he was so busy that, he couldn’t manage any time to visit me.
Later, I contacted him as I had no other way to get my passport in due time. Finally, he cleared the file (I don’t want to mention what the reason was). I do request the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to end such dishonest practice.
Sahara Begum Mukta
Norda, Dhaka
