Seventeen months after inauguration, the Bandarban passport office is yet to start any official activity.
Inhabitants of the district still have to go to Rangamati for passport-related matters despite having an office in their town.
During a recent visit to the Bandarban passport office, it was found that the ground floor is being used as a store room filled with irons rods.
On the second floor, there are only a few papers, four chairs and a table. A mosquito net was found lying on the floor.
Sources said on October 31, 2012, Arifuzzaman, acting assistant commissioner of passport section of Bandarban district administration, had received a letter from the Department of Immigration and Passports ordering to run the passport office immediately if the office had enough space.
Officials of Bandarban passport office said four officials had been appointed while some were on deputation as no activities were taking place in the office.
The office had been issuing passports to Bandarban dwellers since 2008.
A total of 3,000 people from seven upazilas of the district have received passports from the office until 2011.
However, the activities of the office came to a halt in 2011 when the government introduced machine readable passports. Since then the residents of the district had no other choice but to approach the Rangamati passport office.
Shahjahan Kabir, assistant director of Bandarban passport office, said the office might start operations in full swing by June.