Staff Correspondent :
After a long 10-month hiatus, the Narayanganj Regional Passport Office is set to resume operations starting this Sunday. However, the online application process reopened earlier at 12:01 AM on Wednesday night (April 30). From Sunday, applicants can once again visit the passport office at Signboard in Siddhirganj to submit their application forms, provide photographs, and give fingerprints as usual. The information was confirmed by the Deputy Director of the Narayanganj Passport Office, Md. Jamal Hossain.
It is worth noting that a tragic incident occurred on the night of July 18 last year. During an anti-discrimination student protest, miscreants set fire to the Narayanganj Passport Office. The devastating blaze destroyed nearly 8 thousend passports that were ready for distribution. The entire office building was reduced to rubble, and the fire continued burning for most of the day.
Since then, residents from all seven upazilas of Narayanganj (Siddhirganj, Rupganj, Araihazar, Bandar, Sonargaon, Fatullah, and Sadar) have faced severe difficulties. For passport-related services, they had to travel to neighboring areas like Keraniganj, Munshiganj, and Narsingdi.
Six months after the incident, the Department of Public Works began renovating the office. Once the repairs were completed, the facility was completely refurbished.
Meanwhile, shops surrounding the passport office have also been freshly painted and equipped with new computers, printers, and photocopy machines. Local shopkeepers say they hope business will pick up again after nine months of slump.
On the other hand, the news of the passport office reopening after ten long months has brought a sense of relief and joy to the residents of Narayanganj.
