Movement pass still in trial phase: Police HQ
The link was sent to field officers for testing and feedback, but some did not get the message and began promoting the app on Facebook
The Bangladesh Police Headquarters (PHQ) on Thursday said the recently shared link for Movement Pass on social media is just in its pilot phase.
Mir Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general of police headquarters, said, "We only released it for the unit police commanders to try out and recommend any changes. We are working to improve it. We will launch it soon once it is ready."
However, people have already begun claiming and trying to use these passes.
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Dhaka resident Azaharul Islam on Sunday secured a pass to go to Lakshmipur before Eid, but police stopped him at the Saydabad check post.
"I went through all procedures and managed a pass, but now they say it is on trial. Then why did a lot of police officials share it on Facebook?" he said.
A PHQ source told The Business Standard they had received around 1,100 requests per second on Wednesday night.
When asked, Assistant Superintendent (ICT) Farhad Kabir said they had developed it as per instructions of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
"We sent the link to our field police officers for testing and feedback. But some of them did not get the message properly and started promoting the app on Facebook," he added.
Right now, the action button is disabled in the app, the policeman said, adding, "We are really sorry for this inconvenience. We will launch it very soon."
Bangladesh Police is set to issue the passes to the public in an effort to regulate emergency movement, including transportation of goods and services, during the ongoing coronavirus shutdown.
The law enforcement agency has initiated a database for citizens to register and apply for travel clearance. Police will verify the applications and issue passes accordingly.
Vehicles are currently moving unrestricted in and out of Dhaka and other districts in the name of emergencies, a police officer said. "This has given rise to a chaotic situation."
The number of coronavirus patients has been on the rise in Dhaka and other parts of the country. Despite the government's stay-at-home orders, people have been crowding the streets under various pretexts.
