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Brokers rule passport roost at MoFA
KATHMANDU, AUG 10 -
Standing in a serpentine queue outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ramesh Mahato was approached by a broker who offered to get him his passport in one-and-a-half hours for a fee of Rs.1,000. “I have come all the way from Sunsari and could not afford the money he was asking for the job,” a perspiring Mahato said, wiping the sweat off his face. “I refused and now I am standing in the line for the past three hours.”
A small number of such brokers can be found outside the MoFA offices who offer their services for a fee of anything between Rs 500 and 1,000.
In one instance, a brokers’ call for Roshani Shrestha, a teenager looking to pursue higher studies in the United States, turned out to be a boon. “I am thankful that he approached me and offered me the convenience for Rs. 800,” she said. “The scorching sun had me wilting. After bargaining, I paid him Rs. 500. He took me to a police official who helped me cross the rope so that my documents and papers could be submitted soon,” Shrestha added. “I must thank him as the passport was in my hands in just two hours.”
Kundan Baniya was waiting in the line for a broker so that he could get his passport fast. “A friend of mine had told me a broker helped him get a passport outside the MoFA,” he said. “I have been waiting for one hour but no one has offered me anything so far.”
According to a security official outside the ministry offices, it is “very difficult” to identify the brokers in the crowd. “We cannot do anything unless we catch them red-handed or someone complains against them,” he said, requesting anonymity. He, however, denied the involvement of any security official in the underhand deals. “We arrested two brokers over the last couple of days,” he added.
Police Inspector Bharat Prasad Karki said a small number of brokers operate within the crowd. “Some of them charge more than Rs.1,000 from illiterate people just to have the forms filled up,” he said. “We take action on the spot if such cases are detected.”
Admitting that the brokers are in business in the MoFA offices, Haris Chandra Ghimire, Assistant Spokesperson, MoFA, said their working outside means they “may have” connections inside the office. “However, investigation is yet to be carried out,” he said.
“We strongly discourage such a practice, while we are boosting our security system.”
“The public also needs to be aware that such a thing is illegal,” he added.
Posted on: 2010-08-11 07:37
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