The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment has recommended reducing the airfare of Biman Bangladesh Airlines by 10 per cent for expatriate workers who have smart national ID cards.
The panel asked the ministry to ensure UAE-bound travellers with valid visas do not face any harassment by immigration officers at Dhaka airport.
The committee also made a series of recommendations to the relevant ministries regarding easing the process of issuing e-passports, and introducing insurance policies for expatriate workers at a meeting on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
The committee’s Chairman MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said they had asked the flag carrier to reduce airfare by 10 per cent for expatriate workers who have smart national ID cards.
“We had asked Biman before to reduce airfare for expatriate workers by 10 per cent. They wanted to reduce Tk 5,000. Now we are recommending reducing the airfare by 10 per cent for expatriate workers with smart national ID cards,” he said.
Pointing to some recent media reports on how some UAE-bound travellers, especially small businessmen, were harassed at the immigration channel of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the committee’s Chairman MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said the expatriate ministry must ensure safe passage for those who have valid visas.
“If someone has a valid passport, travel visa and the government has no issue against them travelling, I wonder why they should be stopped at the immigration gate. Such practices need to be stopped,” he said while speaking to journalists after the meeting that took place in the parliament complex.
In a recent public hearing, organised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh and the Shahjalal International Airport authorities, both outbound and inbound international passengers complained of “widespread irregularities, harassment, non-cooperation and bad behaviour” of the airport staff.
Easing the process of e-passport and insurance policies
The committee also asked the ministries to look into how the process of the issuance of e-passports can be eased.
“Many applicants for e-passports suffer because their current passports contain wrong information and the amendment process is long and heavily backlogged, which simultaneously made the process of issuance of e-passport difficult,” observed the committee Chairman Anisul.
He also said they had recommended the ministry look into the possibilities of introducing insurance policies for expatriate workers for their welfare.
“If insurance policies are introduced, the family of the expatriate workers will receive a large sum in case of death or casualties,” the standing committee chief added.