Drivers face troubles as nearly 500,000 licences pending at BRTA

As many as 481,000 applications for smart card for driving licence are pending at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) as the contractor firms are not supplying the cards.

People concerned said one cannot apply for the government job as a driver without a smart card for driving licence while many people also face hassle in private job too.

Besides, smart driving licence card is also required for driving jobs at abroad.

The BRTA, however, has introduced e-paper driving licence system. Person seeking a driving licence receives a document containing a QR code after paying a certain amount of fee once he/she clears the driving test of BRTA and, according to BRTA officials, one will be allowed to drive a vehicle with this document until he/she receives a smart card for driving licence.

Indian firm Madras Security Printers (MSP) supplies smart cards to new applicants for driving licence. As of 16 March this year, according to BRTA, 310,000 applications are pending at MSP. Prior to this, the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) was given the task of providing 1.25 million smart cards driving licences, but 171,000 of applicants are yet to receive their smart cards.

The matter of smart card pending at the BRTA was discussed at the preparatory meeting ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr at the road transport and bridges ministry on last Monday.

Sources said, the ministry instructed the authorities concerned to resolve the matter rapidly.

When asked BRTA chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said the contractor firm could not supply the required amount of cards because of complexity over opening letter of credit (LC) and they have taken initiative to import the card immediately and hopefully, the matter would be resolved soon.

For the smart cards pending at the BMTF, problems are different. The contractor, who got the work before the BMTF, collected incomplete data on drivers; information would be collected anew against these cards and initiative has been taken to distribute these smart cards, he added.

The Madras Security Printers signed an agreement of Tk 1.2 billion with the BRTA on 29 July 2020 to supply 4 million smart cards to the latter in five years. The price of each card was fixed at Tk 300.65. As of 16 March this year, according to BRTA sources, the Madras Security Printers supplied 555,000 smart cards.

As per the terms and condition of the tender, Madras Security Printers will supply 900,000 smart cards for driving license in the first year, 700,000 in the second year, 750,000 in the third year, 800,000 in the fourth year, and 850,000 smart cards in the fifth year.

BRTA sources said there was a provision in the work order stating that Madras Security Printers must have a capacity to supply 8,000 smart cards for driving license a day as a supply of additional smart cards is required sometimes because of a rise in demand, and that means the firm must have a capacity to supply all smart cards in two years if need be. But, the firm cannot do it now.

Regarding this, Madras Security Printers human resource manager Ashraf Bin Mustafa told Prothom Alo they cannot provide licence as opening of LC remains closed for importing cards and an effort is underway to import cards directly in an alternative way without opening LC.

Prior to Madras Security Printers, Dhaka-based Tiger IT Bangladesh Limited supplied the smart card for driving licence in association with a Frence company. Tiger IT supplied about 1.5 million smart cards as per its agreement before the deadline due to additional demand.

According to BRTA, as the roads regulator did not take the matter of renewing deal or appointing a new contractor into consideration, 1.25 applications were pending at the BRTA between 2018 and 2021, causing hassle to lisence seekers.

The Madras Security Printers is now responsible to supply these smart cards as the new contractor, but the firm informed the BRTA they could not print smart card from the data server of Tiger IT, which allegedly did not hand over the data server on time. Amid this circumstance, the BMTF was tasked with supplying smart card for driving licence to old applicants.

A person seeking a driving licence needs to go under biometric system to provide fingerprint, taking picture in-person and personal information and people allegedly face hassle at the biometric centre of Madras Security Printers in Mirpur, Dhaka. Service recipients said they returned from the centre without providing biometric information with many paying agents to avoid long queue.

Md Ahsan Ullah drives a personal car in Dhaka. He said he paid all fees for driving licence in October 2022 and he was told to come on 10 January 2023 to give biometric information. As he was told repeatedly, Ahsan Ullah visited to the biometric centre on 10 January, 24 January and 23 February; yet, he couldn't give the biometric information.

Shoyeb Ahmed and Tanvir Ahmed from Kishoreganj filed a case against the employees of Madras Security Printers with the capital’s Pallabi police station on allegations of assaulting the former and taking biometric information early in exchange of a bribe.

Police also detained seven people of the firm. A committee head by BRTA Dhaka divisional director Mohammad Shahidullah was formed to investigate into the allegation and the probe body found irregularities in collecting biometric information and the allegation of assault mentioned in the lawsuit to be true.

Madras Security Printers human resource manager Ashraf Bin Mustafa admitted the arrest and the lawsuit.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna