The government plans to set up passport offices in all 64 districts by the next month in order to reduce the hassle in getting machine readable passports, said a Home Ministry official at a meeting with the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Government Assurances in Jatiya Sangsad yesterday.
At present, there are 34 regional passport offices in 31 districts, from where people can collect machine readable passports.
Around nine million machine readable passports have been issued so far since the Home Ministry started issuing them in 2010.
While discussing the government move to provide machine readable passports, some members of the standing committee raised the issue of public suffering in obtaining a passport.
The eight-member standing committee legally tasked to review the implementation of pledges made by the prime minister and home minister at parliament discussed the passport issue as it assessed the government’s progress in fulfilling its assurances on home affairs in the ninth parliament.
AL’s Mir Mostaque Ahmed Robi, member of parliament (MP) from the Satkhira Sadar constituency, raised the issue, saying people in Satkhira had to go to Khulna to get passports.
“In response to Robi Bhai’s question, a joint secretary told us that machine readable passports will be issued from all district headquarters within the next one month,” said Shahiduzzaman Sarker, a committee member, said.
At the meeting, Home Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan said pilot projects were already underway to set up passport offices in Lakshmipur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Rajbari and Naogaon.
The standing committee also recommended the ministry to set up marine police outposts to ensure security for passengers in the river routes.
Awami League MP Kazi Keramat Ali presided over the meeting, while MPs AKM Shahjahan Kamal and Abdul Majid Khan were also in attendance, among others.