Posted on 04 October 2007 by Tasneem Khalil
EC on N-ID cards
[Dhaka Correspondent] The Election Commission expects the government to promulgate an ordinance making national ID cards mandatory for citizens to get 22 services and to set up a national registration and database authority before initiating voters’ registration job in Dhaka slated for December.
Once the ordinance is promulgated, no one will be allowed access to the specified facilities or services, mostly related to daily chores, unless they produce the identity cards or the government relaxes the related provisions. ID cards will, however, be issued only for voting purposes in the beginning to encourage eligible people to register their names on the electoral roll at the registration centers.
“Election Commission sees voter registration in Dhaka city as a big challenge. Promulgation of the ordinance will help towards completing the project,” election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain told newsmen at his office Wednesday. “No one will be listed as a voter without the registration of the name on the electoral roll and no one will get the national ID card.”
EC planned to start field work for the preparation of the electoral roll and the national ID cards on December 1. In August it sent a draft of the ordinance to the government for promulgation to make the use of national ID cards mandatory. According to the draft, the government will set up a national registration and database authority to be tasked with the preparation of the ID cards under the commission’s supervision. The new authorities as a permanent body will keep collecting particulars of people and issuing national identity cards.
The commission, however, proposed a provision empowering the government to relax the stringent conditions on the use of the identity cards. People who are not eligible at present to be registered as voters will need to wait for the cards as the commission has not taken the responsibilities of preparing and issuing the cards for them.
“Government will be authorized to exempt citizens of a particular range of ages from the regulation. It can also exempt a particular section of people from compliance with the regulation for government services and facilities. Even the government can relax the provisions of making it mandatory for the people to show the cards to have some facilities,” the ordinance draft said.
The draft said, “For any services from the government, its departments and institutions or from any statutory government offices, the citizens should submit their national identity cards.”
22 services for which cards will be required: Issuance and renewal of passport, driving license, trade license, tax identification number, business identification number and bank account, and beneficiary owner’s account with stock exchanges. Citizens will need to provide the identity card numbers for connections of gas, water and electricity, telephone, mobile, internet and cable television. They will need to produce the card numbers for registration with public examinations, any public services, marriage registration and loans of any sort.
None will get government subsidy facilities, allowance and relief if s/he does not have an ID card. ID cards will be mandatory for selling and buying land and motor vehicles, admission of children to schools, lodging cases and appeal to court.
February 6th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Thanks for the information about national ID card.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
I could not yet be enrolled in voter list. I have come to know through newpaper that it is possible up to March 10, 2008 for Dhaka city. Accordingly I have been trying to communicate to the no.01730-020507 but failed to connect. Can you help me in this regard.
May 21st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Hello Sir,
I got my National ID Card but I found some mistake at my Father’s Name is Md.Abdul Khalek but its mistake Md.Abul Khalek. My ID NO:1595708911749
So pls advise how can I get correction above mistake.
Have a nice day.
Mojibur Rahman.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hi,
How can I get the National ID card now as I was not able to get the card at the time of delivering because of not present in Bangladesh.
Kind Regards,
Debasis Roy
August 21st, 2008 at 11:49 am
Dear sir,
Kidly let us know when will distrubit the ID in Satkania, Chittagong
Best Regards / Moinul Islam Babul >mietc5@gmail.com
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 am
I was recently in Dhaka and intended to signup for my national id card. After several calls to the EC (they kept asking me to call different numbers). Finally, I was told to go to the Banani Biddya Niketan in Banani to register. So I went there. When I arrived, I was told that they were out of forms. I was asked to wait until more forms arrived. While I waited, more people arrived. While we waited, the EC officials were busy chatting and entertaining themselves with food and cold drinks. We sat there for over an hour. After about an hour wait, we were told that it would take much longer (they weren’t sure when) for the forms to arrive. Since I could not afford to wait any longer, I left. I wish I had tried to do this much earlier but I couldn’t register since I left Dhaka the next day. It was sorry to hear that they were out of forms so early in the day ( I was the first one to get there that day). Not only that, even worse was the attitude of the officials, a “don’t care” attitude. They were too busy chatting, eating and enjoying themselves on the clock than serving the purpose for which they were there. Is this what a “reformed” EC looks like?
August 24th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I think the so-called caretaker govt had done nothing but wasted government money. You see all these unelected officials attending cultural functions every now and then but you hardly see any sign of their seriousness and professional attitude to hold the parliamentary elections which should have been held at least a year back. These ‘pushed-in’ fellows by Yunus and his financiers abroad are now talking nonsense about holding upazilla elections which is absolutely none of their business. They should immediately hold elections by October as demanded by AL and BNP and hand over power to the people before they screw up Bangladesh.
It’s ridiculous to see a rubbish ‘truth commission’ set up at it’s fag end to try only politicians and be blind to the misdeeds of bureaucrats and the military. It’s even alarming to see the power sector deteriorating, food and oil prices soaring disproportionately and the undemocratic government doing things that amounts to violating the constitution.
It’s now known that they are trying to strike a deal with BNP chief Khaleda Zia to get all their acts approved before she is released. I don’t understand why they are asking for a ‘1975 indemnity bill’ sort of behind the scene arrangement before they go. Even if they get one it too will be blown away in the next parliament like Khondokar Mushtaque’s illegal 1975 bill. They must be held accountable for each and every act they had committed during their way overstretched stay in power. They too must understand that they too aren’t above law. If Mick is right about Tareq then I think it has been an inhumane act. It must be thoroughly investigated and all the criminals responsible severely punished.