Govt goes slow on MRP scheme
Bangladesh may fail to implement its machine-readable passport (MRP) and machine-readable visa (MRV) projects within the April 2010 international deadline because of the government's inaction.
Earlier in March, the government 'promptly' decided to implement these projects and approved funds to that end. The government also decided to award the job to the army, but since then no new development took place.
No-one apparently knows when the task will end as both the projects were first conceived over a decade ago.
"The government has so far failed to appoint a project director since the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council [Ecnec] on March 19 approved a Tk 283 crore fund for the job," comments a home ministry official seeking anonymity.
Sources at the Ministry of Home and the Department of Immigration and Passport say they see no issuance of MRP or MRV in near future, meaning the country is going to be in deep trouble.
Bangladesh must introduce MRP by April next year to comply with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Failure in this regard may jeopardise Bangladesh citizens' access to international labour market and all types of visas.
"The ICAO will determine the fate of Bangladesh if we fail to introduce MRP and MRP within the deadline," Abdur Rob Hawlader, director general (DG) of the Department of Immigration and Passport, told The Daily Star on Monday.
The project will start moving once the PD is appointed, he said, expressing the hope the PD will be appointed next month. The DG added a local expert will be made the PD since the army was given the responsibility to implement the projects.
Issuance of MRP and MRV was supposed to start from next July as per a previous plan, but it seems very unlikely considering the presence context. The passport DG said delay in appointment of the PD has put the entire process back.
He however is hopeful to meet the international obligation although they have only 10 months to introduce the sophisticated passport and visa system.
In March, the government gave the armed forces the responsibility to introduce the MRP and MRV before the deadline considering their success in making the national identity card.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was supposed to be signed with the army before start of the projects. Senior officials of the army and the immigration and passport department sat on several occasions in the last couple of months but failed to do so.
"We are holding meetings and the MoU will be signed once the PD is appointed," said Abdur Rob Hawlader.
Bangladesh first took an initiate to introduce MRP and MRV in 1998 when the Awami League was in power. But frequent changes of mind in the governments about the project and its budget delayed the move.
Of the 181 member nations of the ICAO, 115 including India and Pakistan have so far issued MRP to their citizens.
Bangladesh is a member of the ICAO, a global forum for civil aviation and a specialised United Nations agency that codifies principles and techniques of international aviation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport.
Comments