DHAKA: In an effort to accommodate more people and facilitate services, the Embassy of Bangladesh has inaugurated a new building for its consulate next to the old chancery.

With almost 1,000 people visiting the consulate every day the new building can accommodate 500 people.

Political Counselor at the embassy, Mohammad Shahadat Hussain told Gulf News: “We had a lot of people coming in every day and there wasn’t enough waiting space for them at the old building as it could only accommodate 100 people at a time.”

He added: “So, they had to wait outside under the heat of the sun and neighbors would complain about the noise.”
 
Shahadat said the new building as a “one-stop service” with far better facilities than before.

The consulate will continue to provide the same services, such as certificates to get machine-readable passports (MRP) and passport renewal, among others.

While there are no plans to increase the number of staff at the new building, Hussain said the consulate plans to raise the number of counters from three to six to speed up services.

With the recent move to MRPs and thousands of Bangladeshis yet to switch their passports, the consulate is expecting more visitors and the new building will ease the process.

An estimated 800,000 Bangladeshis live and work in the UAE.

BDST: 1600 HRS, JAN 01, 2014