Md Azmul supplied his fingerprint for a shining riding licence from the Bangladesh Avenue Transport Authority (BRTA) in August final Twelve months, desiring to actual a riding visa for a job in another nation.
Then over again, because the licence changed into now no longer issued on time, he did now no longer salvage the job.
Larger than a Twelve months later, he’s yet to receive the shining licence card. “I left my earlier job, but might maybe maybe also now no longer transfer in another nation. I’m in a excessive financial crisis,” mentioned a frustrated Azmul.
Hundreds of others own the same tales attributable to delays in BRTA’s shining riding licence distribution with a backlog of around 560,000 playing cards.
BRTA officials attribute the delays to Madras Security Printers (MSP), the corporate shriveled to invent the playing cards which has cited a shortage of polycarbonate playing cards because the explanation.
The BRTA space of business corridors and rooms are clogged with frustrated folks day after day who’re ready to transfer in another nation with driver jobs but can now no longer salvage the published riding card.
“I gaze 20 to 30 such candidates each day on the head space of business, some even with solutions from high bureaucrats,” mentioned a senior BRTA reliable.
Meer Ahemed Tariqul Omar, director (operations) of the BRTA, instructed TBS that around 5.9 lakh riding licence playing cards had been pending. Then over again, within the previous two weeks, MSP printed over 30,000 playing cards and dispensed them.
He mentioned, “The company educated us that they bought a consignment of 4.75 lakh playing cards and are working in three shifts to print about 10,000 playing cards per day. They are trying to resolve the backlog as soon as imaginable.”
In July 2020, BRTA signed a Tk1.2 billion contract with MSP to invent 40 lakh playing cards by June 2025. Then over again, the corporate has produced finest 20 lakh playing cards to this point, with dazzling seven months closing to screech the rest of the playing cards.
BRTA officials screech that with 2,000–3,000 unique functions being submitted day-to-day, resolving the backlog field anytime soon will seemingly be now no longer easy.
Within the intervening time, BRTA has moreover been issuing e-paper riding licences. Candidates receive machine-generated paperwork with QR codes, which allow them to drive freely in every single place in the nation.
BRTA director (engineering) Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas mentioned the authority changed into moreover weighing alternatives similar to offering riding playing cards beneath its possess administration after procuring compulsory know-how. If now no longer imaginable within a runt while, then a third birthday celebration will seemingly be engaged to resolve the problem, he added.
Besides, the licensing agency is moreover trying to salvage the e-riding licences, which are for the time being being supplied attributable to extend in shining card starting up, current internationally to discontinuance the sufferings of in a foreign country job seekers or travelers who need riding licences, officials mentioned.
Peril with MSP
In line with Meer Ahemed Tariqul Omar, the Indian company highlighted several problems in producing the playing cards alongside with difficulties with opening letters of credit (LCs) and problems with the typical of candidates’ photos.
He defined, “Their photographers in total seize poor-quality photos. For the length of quality tests, many printed playing cards are rejected, requiring candidates to retake their photos, which delays the technique. Some candidates, frustrated by the delays, own even agreed to settle for low-quality photos for his or her licences.”
“We now own directed them to discontinuance the distribution of the pending playing cards within a month,” he mentioned.
He moreover mentioned that BRTA has been exerting stress on MSP by withholding price.
“We instructed them that we gained’t free up any funds till the total pending playing cards are dispensed. Moreover, we own asked them to guarantee that the photos meet the specified quality requirements while taking. We won’t settle for to any extent additional delays.”
Then over again, MSP has expressed optimism about resolving the backlog in every single place in the next four months.
Ahmed Kani, IT Mission Supervisor at MSP, mentioned, “We now own procured 4 lakh playing cards and are within the strategy of opening an LC for an additional five lakh playing cards. Moreover, we’re working in every single place in the clock, printing around 10,000 licences per day. This might maybe occasionally also assist us determined the total backlog within 3-4 months.”
Kani moreover assured that no additional backlog is predicted, declaring, “Our day-to-day printing capacity is quite double the put a question to. Whereas BRTA processes around 6,000 licence enrollments per day, we are in a position to print over 10,000 playing cards day-to-day.”
Addressing the explanations for the backlog, Kani mentioned previous challenges similar to delays in opening LCs and disruptions attributable to the nation’s anxiousness since July.
When asked about the categorical problems with LC openings, Kani declined to give an explanation for additional.
A BRTA reliable, who carefully displays MSP, acknowledged that for the previous three months, MSP has been producing finest 200-300 playing cards per day attributable to a shortage of stock. The consignment of 475,000 playing cards is the excellent they’ve bought within the final six months.
He added, “Working with MSP has been extremely now no longer easy, as they in total provide illogical excuses for his or her failure to meet gash-off dates. Even though the BRTA changed into unable to seize strict motion in opposition to the Indian company beneath the earlier govt, it’s now trying to solve the anxiousness.”
The reliable mentioned the BRTA is planning to spy alternatives after making funds for no subject assortment of shining playing cards it’ll offer till June subsequent Twelve months.
Prolong in post space of business
The BRTA delivers shining riding licences to candidates thru the post space of business, the utilization of the addresses supplied for the length of the application path of. Then over again, there are allegations that delays in postal starting up in total pause candidates from receiving their playing cards on time.
Md Zakir Hasan Noor, director (mails) on the Directorate of Posts, highlighted obvious system-linked problems causing delays in turning in licences.
“Often BRTA sends us backdated playing cards, which creates the idea of late starting up,” he mentioned.
One other reason he shared, “Beforehand, BRTA extinct to send us 3,000–4,000 playing cards day-to-day, and we developed our capacity to address up to 5,000 playing cards per day, alongside with system entry, rechecking with BRTA servers, and packaging.
“Then over again, a couple of days ago, they sent 40,000 playing cards with out extend. Processing this kind of wide batch took time, but we worked spherical the clock to determined the backlog within a couple of days,” he mentioned.
Concerning starting up timelines, Zakir Hasan mentioned, “We now own an settlement to screech licences within seven days. Normally, we guarantee starting up to the recipient within three days of receiving the playing cards. If the recipient is unavailable, the card stays on the nearest post space of business for seven days ahead of being sent support to BRTA.”
He emphasised the department’s commitment to timely starting up, announcing, “We’re very cautious about delays. In fact, a couple of days ago, we suspended an employee for delayed starting up.”
A project plagued by delays
A pragmatic riding licence card is the physical proof of the riding licence which is embedded with data chips for storing facts about the motive force.
The BRTA started issuing digital shining riding licences with chips in October 2011. Distribution of plastic playing cards started even ahead of, in 2005, to pause riding licence forgery.
Historically, BRTA has relied on a ramification of contractors for shining card issuance. Forward of MSP, native firm Tiger IT Bangladesh Restricted, in collaboration with a French company, changed into shriveled for the job.
Then over again, the impasse within the shining riding licence project developed in 2018 after the BRTA failed to lengthen a take care of contractor Tiger IT because the corporate changed into blacklisted by the World Bank.
Quickly after, the BRTA started browsing for another company nonetheless it took one and a half years. In the end, it selected Indian firm Madras Security Printer (MSP) for this job.
MSP bought the work allege to print the playing cards in 2019 and had space up a facility in Bangladesh.
Within the intervening time, the avenue transport authorities, inked a separate take care of the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory on 29 August 2021 to print the pending playing cards for issuing shining riding licences. The Bangladesh Military-flee manufacturing facility supplied 12.5 lakh playing cards clearing the backlog left by the earlier contractor Tiger IT till the MSP started the job.