Finance ministry, DIP locked in tussle over e-passports’ fee collection

The finance ministry and the passport office are locked in a tussle over the collection of e-passports’ fee.

The finance division under the finance ministry wants to introduce the e-passport fee collection process through an online payment system while the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) pays no heed to it, according to sources in the ministry.

On November 19, the finance division wrote to the DIP asking to launch the system. Yet, it did not get any reply from the passport office. A copy of the letter was also sent to the home ministry that regulates the passport office.

“Besides bribery and corruption, there are many allegations against the passport department. Therefore, it has been asked to introduce e-challan [online payment] system so that the entire amount of revenue collected as passport fees is properly deposited in the government exchequer,” said a finance ministry official requesting not to be named.

The finance division planned to inaugurate the programme on December 1 this year.

“The finance division has taken the initiative to inaugurate the service after discussing with us. I have also received the letter,” said Md Shahiduzzaman, secretary to the Security Services Division under the home ministry.

The director general of the Passport Department is expected to cooperate with the finance division to implement the system, he said.

“I was out of Dhaka. I came to Dhaka today [Wednesday]. I need to know the latest situation in this regard tomorrow,” the secretary further said.

For the e-passport fee collection process, 40 branches of state-owned Sonali, Rupali, Agrani and Janata banks have been set up and officers of these branches and the DIP have also been trained.

Once the e-invoice is introduced, the revenue will increase and the harassment of the service recipients will also decrease, according to the finance division.

The DG of the passport office could not be contacted over the phone despite several attempts.

However, Project Director of e-passport project Brigadier General Saidur Rahman Khan told the Business Insider that they already moved to introduce an “automatic invoicing system”. “The matter has also been reported to the finance division. The e-invoicing system will be implemented whenever they are ready.”

The regional offices of the passport have become a haven for kickbacks, according to people familiar with the situation. Some brokers in league with the public officials in the passport office take money illegally from the service-seekers, which is an open secret.