Mir Imran, Madaripur Correspondent:
Passport holders are harassed and printing is not done without payment at the passport office in Madaripur""A broker was arrested in an undercover ACC operation""For a long time, passports were being withheld and sent for printing in exchange for money. The ACC has conducted an undercover operation at the Madaripur regional passport office based on allegations that work is not done without payment. A broker has been arrested in the operation.
However, the locals have expressed anger that none of them have been arrested despite the passport office being involved in these irregularities. Mahmudul Hasan, the assistant director of the passport office, has been involved in various types of irregularities and corruption for a long time. Angered by this incident, the aggrieved civil society put up banners with the words "We want a corruption-free and harassment-free passport office and the withdrawal of assistant director Mahmudul Hasan."
Even then, the harassment at the passport office did not stop. Whenever people went to apply for a passport without a designated broker, they were subjected to harassment. Angered by this, they complained to the ACC. Later, on Tuesday around 12 noon, ACC Assistant Director Md. Akhtaruzzaman led an undercover raid on the Madaripur Regional Passport Office.
At that time, a broker named Emdad Hawlader was arrested. The arrested Emdad Hawlader (50) is the son of Abdur Rafiq Hawlader of Patiladi village of Dudhkhali union of Sadar upazila. It is known that he has been running rental activities in the Iterpul area of the city for a long time.
ACC said that the Madaripur Regional Support Office and its surroundings are becoming increasingly reckless with brokers and passport office officials aiding them. Based on such information, the ACC conducted a raid there undercover. Later, the officials secretly recorded a conversation in front of the passport office. Emdad Howlader demanded 8,500 taka from a candidate on the condition of giving him a passport. Later, he was caught red-handed. After that, the ACC released Emdad in the custody of his wife on a bond.
Advocate Masud Parvez, president of the Madaripur Unnayan Sangram Parishad, said, "No work is done at the Madaripur passport office without money. Services are only available if you pay money through a broker."
Brokers put a code mark on the passport file. If that mark is not there, the service cannot be provided. He added in an angry voice, "It will not be enough to just catch the brokers. We have to catch the officers. Then people will get the desired service."
ACC Madaripur Assistant Director Md. Akhtaruzzaman said that Emdad has been released in the custody of his wife on the condition that he does not engage in such activities in the passport office and its surroundings in the future. The ACC will continue to conduct regular operations at the passport office to stop harassment.
Mahmudul Hasan, assistant director of the Madaripur Regional Passport Office, denied responsibility and said that ACC officials had arrested a broker outside the passport office. They later took action against him.
Mir Imran
District Representative, Madaripur.
