Staff Reporter:
To get an identity card from Bauphal municipality of Patuakhali, you have to pay 300 taka. After the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, the mayor, councilors and women councilors of the reserved wards of Bauphal municipality were removed like the rest of the country. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer is instructed to perform the duties of the councilor to the administrators and government officials of various departments.
For the past few months, the citizens of the municipality have been suffering in accessing one of their important services. They have to pay money to get identity card. 3 hundred rupees per person to get an identity card. But they used to get this service for free. Currently it has to be purchased. Ordinary city dwellers have to suffer constantly. Especially in urban areas poor people are suffering more.
There are total 9 wards in Bauphal Municipality. The total population is more than 20 thousand. If necessary, they need to get an identity card from the municipality. Earlier, municipal citizens could get identity cards only when they went to the councilor of the respective ward. But now they don’t get that identity card if they want. They have to visit the municipal office day after day for identity cards.
The identity card requires the signature of the administrator (UNOR) and the officer in charge of the concerned ward. And for this signature, they have to go to the municipality several times. Then pay 300 taka in cash and get identity card. There are complaints that there are many mistakes in the spelling of the name even after taking the identity card with money. Having to pay money again while correcting that mistake.
The same is the case with birth registration. Births cannot be registered month after month. Again, if there is a mistake in the birth registration, the approval of DDLG is required for correction. In all these, the citizens of the city are suffering.
According to the related sources, the government has no instructions about taking government services (identity cards) with money.
In this regard, Bauphal Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Administrator Aminul Islam hunted the issue of taking money for issuing identity cards and said that the decision to take money was taken by resolution to increase the income of the municipality and to pay the salaries of the officials and employees. Such a thing can be seen in various media reports including social media.
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