Overcoming all the hurdles, Machine-Readable-Passport-(MRP) was introduced in Bangladesh and the country stepped into the world of e-passport. The quality of Bangladeshi passports is improving. Our passports have been already recognised as a world class. But service seekers are being harassed by a section of government officials.
We thought that e-passport would play a vital role in checking fraudulence and curbing harassment of service seekers from brokers, bringing a new era for building digital Bangladesh. But, people are still being harassed and humiliated at passport office at divisional passport and visa office in Chattogram, according to media reports.
Apart from Chattogram, service seekers are also falling prey to corruption in almost all the passport and visa offices across the country. Reaffirming her government’s tough stance against corruption and irregularities, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina repeatedly issued strong warning against corrupt public servants.
But common people are yet to get rid of the menace of corruption, irregularities and mismanagement as no stern action are taken against the corrupt officials and employees from grassroots to central level. These corrupt officials continue resorting to evil practice across the country by forming a syndicate.
Common people are
yet to get rid of the menace
of corruption, irregularities and
mismanagement
The service seekers either from rural or urban areas are being harassed in many ways by greedy and corrupt officials when they go to the government offices to get service or for other important purposes. We find no reason why some officials still continue the evil practice when the government enhanced their salaries, allowances and other privileges.
There is a proverb that says, ‘A rogue is deaf to all good’. So, we all should boycott corrupt officials socially and raise a collective voice against dishonest officials being imbued in the spirit of the War of Liberation to build a corruption-free prosperous society.
Although the government has zero-tolerance policy against corruption.
We get stunned when we see some government officials are not giving a damn to the prime minister’s warning. They are abusing power and taking bribe from the service seekers every day.
Some of the corrupt think that bribe-taking in a very normal practice. The government should never tolerate this social ill. They indulge in corruption and depriving people of getting proper service. The public servants who will be found abuse power and involved in corruption should be dealt strictly. They should be brought to justice under the existing law.