Residents in Habiganj have voiced mounting frustration over renewed allegations of corruption and administrative misconduct at the region’s passport office, where applicants say they are being forced to pay unauthorized fees to secure routine services.
According to multiple passport applicants, officials are accepting applications through informal “marked” channels while demanding additional payments ranging from 1,000 to 1,300 taka per passport — fees that are not part of the government’s official schedule. The alleged practices, which had reportedly subsided for a period, are said to have resumed abruptly, intensifying public anger and concern.
Local sources claim that a network of middlemen, working alongside a group of office employees, became active again shortly after the national elections. Applicants allege that officials deliberately create procedural complications, rejecting applications over minor technical errors and requiring repeated visits. Those willing to pay extra, often through intermediaries operating near the office, are reportedly able to expedite the process.
Even after paying the mandated government fee, several applicants said their paperwork was refused on technical grounds. Many described being sent back multiple times for trivial corrections, only to later discover that payment of an additional unofficial fee resulted in swift acceptance of their documents.
The result, residents say, is a system that disproportionately burdens ordinary citizens, forcing them to incur unnecessary expenses in order to obtain basic public services.
Repeated attempts to contact relevant officials for comment were unsuccessful, and no formal response was immediately available.
