Bribery has allegedly become the means of getting passports fast and without any hassle at the regional office in Madaripur.
A passport seeker called Monir Hossain from Rajair upazila said he and one of his neighbours came to submit their passport applications but they were rejected by the officials at the counter.
The officials firstly refused to accept the applications reasoning that the photocopies of the Union Parishad chairman certificates were blurred. They later rejected the applications without showing any reason even though the photocopies were done well, he said.
Passport applicant Monir said he later could learn that the applications could not be submitted unless they were submitted through middlemen in exchange for a bribe of Tk1200 to 1500.
Another passport expectant called Sohel Khan said he deposited Tk6000 to the bank to collect passport on emergency basis. When submitting his application to the office, he found the officials dilly-dallying in accepting it.
Passport aspirant Mehedi Hasan said every passport seeker had to pay Tk500 to 100 during police verification. “Police have taken Tk500 during verification from me.”
Sushanto Jaydhor from Dakkhin Chalbal village in Kalkini upazila said he had submitted his application to get his passport on the emergency basis and accordingly he was supposed to get his passport in 12 days while he got it in 24 days.
Deputy Assistant Director Ruhul Amin at Madaripur Regional Passport Office said there might be middlemen outside the office but no official had been involved in any act of passport bribery there.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (circle) Abu Bakar Siddique however said they had heard of the presence of middlemen at the passport office and detective police were trying to arrest them.
Deputy Commissioner GSM Jafarullah said they were failing to control the middlemen at the passport office because it was situated outside the town. Proceedings were however on to bring the passport office at its own building inside the town.
The passport office has so far issued around 3000 passports since it was inaugurated on July 12.
