The smart cards introduced for outgoing migrant workers aimed at checking illegal migration have become non-functional, as it is possible to pass the airport immigration with other visas.
Besides this, a migrant worker does not require a smart card after passing the immigration desk, airport officials said.
Workers and officials demand that multipurpose use of the cards be introduced to justify its issuance.
Although the smart card project was introduced to avoid filling up the embarkation or boarding pass, but now they have to do so “manually” since the machines do not function properly, an official of the airport’s welfare desk said.
The cards contain all the information furnished in the passport of an overseas jobseeker, his/her fingerprints, and the name and licence number of the recruiting agency.
When introduced, it was deemed that the authorities would be able to easily identify all the parties involved in the migration process and take action accordingly.
A senior official of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) said a migrant worker simply throws away the card after passing the airport because “it is not required anywhere else.”
The official observes that the smart card has to be made effective or else, should not be issued.
Moreover, many dishonest recruiting agencies are sending job aspirants abroad illegally by using tourist or medical visas with the help of different agencies at the airport, the official mentioned.
In February 2010, the government introduced smart card, a tag with computer chip, for migrant workers to ease the immigration process. It was also considered that this card would be useful abroad.
Till now, around 1.7m smart cards have been issued where the workers have to pay around Tk130 to get each card before the fly abroad.
“I have lost my card. The smart card has no use after passing the airport,” Nur Nahar, who recently returned from Lebanon, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Saiful Islam, director of Buet’s Institute of Information and Communication Technology, said: “We suggested installation of smart card readers at 15 labour wings abroad so that the card can be multi-used.”
“But our recommendation was not implemented later on,” he told the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday.
He pointed out that a returnee migrant needs another smart card to go abroad again. “What a foolish use of smart card!” he said.
It could be used in different essential purposes. He suggested that a database of returnee migrant workers could be created by the usage of smart cards.
“A returnee migrant can use it for taking loan from the Probashi Kallyan Bank,” he said.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) Founding Chair Tasneem Siddiqui said the BMET should introduce multipurpose use of the smart cards.
“It is not fair that a returnee migrant worker needs to get another smart card to go abroad again,” Tasneem told the Dhaka Tribune over phone on Sunday.
She also suggested that Bangladesh embassies should link up their services with the smart card.
BMET Director General Begum Shamsun Nahar admitted that the smart card was not being used for various purposes.
“We will install smart card readers in all labour wings abroad so that the cards could be useful for the migrant workers abroad,” she told this reporter.
