On
a bright sunny day while having Fuchka with yogurt I realized I had
lost my purse. I could not of course detail how and why it got lost but
it did. And along with it went my Bank cards, National ID card and
Driver's License. Quite a colossal loss if I think about it because the
purse had emotional value and I do drive quite a bit.
So in Bangladesh if you lose a document issued by the Government you are meant to go to your nearest police station and make an official note(called GD) of it. To retrieve copies of lost or damaged documents you then have to provide a copy of the GD you made.
So my journey began. I knew from various advertisements by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police that GDs could now be made from home through their website at one's convenience. It made me ecstatic. When did go to the website (which unfortunately has been shut down for unforeseen circumstances) and filled out the appropriate form , it instructed that I take a printout of the confirmation page, visit the nearest police station and get it stamped to make it into an official document. I was not sure how this made things more convenient if I did have to visit the police station after all.
So finally I made a GD entry , filled out the appropriate form to be submitted and sent it out along with a copy of the GD, for submission. I got a temporary paper license about 2 weeks later and was told Id have to go down to BRTA to be photographed "digitally" and give biometric specifications.
Any procedure at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority takes days and months and a few extra bucks. I knew it and had paid off (as demanded) 3500 taka to a clerk who said he would get my papers move along the right channel and get everything ready for the photography session. The BRTA is no place for a decent person to be in for a long period of time and certainly no place for a woman to be in. So I made myself acquainted with the Engineer-in charge over there and got myself seated in his room while my papers were getting processed. Mind you , I already had a temporary license, had paid the fees and had an official receipt.. The way I see it I could have gone for the "digital" session straightaway but apparently a few more signatures were to be taken.
After waiting for almost an hour this clerk who was taking care of my papers , came up to me and told me I have to submit another 350 taka . I should go to the BRAC Bank counter and make the submission and come back with the receipt. I asked for what purpose should I tell them I am making the deposit and he told me "various( bibidho)" and disappeared. After waiting at the Bank queue for 15-20 minutes when my turn came up , the teller told me "I am keeping 345 under various and if they ask you to give another 5 taka please come back and make that deposit." Astonished as I was I told him he can keep the full 350 right now and I did not plan to wait again on the queue. The next teller also told him to keep 350. Now he said "I am keeping 346 taka" and gave me receipt for 350 taka .
With this receipt I was pushed into a room with TigerIT employees who are actually handling the "digital" part of the documentation. I shall not whine about how I saw them sitting around and gossiping right in front of clients but the person in charge of plugging in the information told me my papers did not have the copy of the GD attached to it. I told him I have a temporary license and I could only get it by submitting the GD and this should be proof enough. Of course this was to no avail. He needed the copy of the GD. I was a bit mad by this time and told him he should find it since I have already submitted it. Now he told me he can do it if I go back to the Engineer and get his permission! I walked out of the room and told the clerk handling my paperwork that the GD copy was needed. I saw him run around a bit and then go in the same room that I came out of and finally handing me a token for the photo to be taken. He had not found the copy that was sought but managed in some other way.
Now I waited around another half hour and finally got called in for my photo to be taken. This was also being handled by TigerIT. Unfortunately the girl who was being photographed right before me had both her hands disfigured by Polio or some related disease or accident and there I was witness to some cruel insensitivity that she must have faced all her life. Finally my photograph was taken and I was told I will be sms-ed within 2 weeks to collect my "digital" license.
It has been three weeks and counting.
So in Bangladesh if you lose a document issued by the Government you are meant to go to your nearest police station and make an official note(called GD) of it. To retrieve copies of lost or damaged documents you then have to provide a copy of the GD you made.
So my journey began. I knew from various advertisements by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police that GDs could now be made from home through their website at one's convenience. It made me ecstatic. When did go to the website (which unfortunately has been shut down for unforeseen circumstances) and filled out the appropriate form , it instructed that I take a printout of the confirmation page, visit the nearest police station and get it stamped to make it into an official document. I was not sure how this made things more convenient if I did have to visit the police station after all.
So finally I made a GD entry , filled out the appropriate form to be submitted and sent it out along with a copy of the GD, for submission. I got a temporary paper license about 2 weeks later and was told Id have to go down to BRTA to be photographed "digitally" and give biometric specifications.
Any procedure at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority takes days and months and a few extra bucks. I knew it and had paid off (as demanded) 3500 taka to a clerk who said he would get my papers move along the right channel and get everything ready for the photography session. The BRTA is no place for a decent person to be in for a long period of time and certainly no place for a woman to be in. So I made myself acquainted with the Engineer-in charge over there and got myself seated in his room while my papers were getting processed. Mind you , I already had a temporary license, had paid the fees and had an official receipt.. The way I see it I could have gone for the "digital" session straightaway but apparently a few more signatures were to be taken.
After waiting for almost an hour this clerk who was taking care of my papers , came up to me and told me I have to submit another 350 taka . I should go to the BRAC Bank counter and make the submission and come back with the receipt. I asked for what purpose should I tell them I am making the deposit and he told me "various( bibidho)" and disappeared. After waiting at the Bank queue for 15-20 minutes when my turn came up , the teller told me "I am keeping 345 under various and if they ask you to give another 5 taka please come back and make that deposit." Astonished as I was I told him he can keep the full 350 right now and I did not plan to wait again on the queue. The next teller also told him to keep 350. Now he said "I am keeping 346 taka" and gave me receipt for 350 taka .
With this receipt I was pushed into a room with TigerIT employees who are actually handling the "digital" part of the documentation. I shall not whine about how I saw them sitting around and gossiping right in front of clients but the person in charge of plugging in the information told me my papers did not have the copy of the GD attached to it. I told him I have a temporary license and I could only get it by submitting the GD and this should be proof enough. Of course this was to no avail. He needed the copy of the GD. I was a bit mad by this time and told him he should find it since I have already submitted it. Now he told me he can do it if I go back to the Engineer and get his permission! I walked out of the room and told the clerk handling my paperwork that the GD copy was needed. I saw him run around a bit and then go in the same room that I came out of and finally handing me a token for the photo to be taken. He had not found the copy that was sought but managed in some other way.
Now I waited around another half hour and finally got called in for my photo to be taken. This was also being handled by TigerIT. Unfortunately the girl who was being photographed right before me had both her hands disfigured by Polio or some related disease or accident and there I was witness to some cruel insensitivity that she must have faced all her life. Finally my photograph was taken and I was told I will be sms-ed within 2 weeks to collect my "digital" license.
It has been three weeks and counting.
