MRP printing facility handed over to I&P department

National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has handed over the printing facility of machine-readable passports (MRP) to immigration and passport (I&P) department on December 24 (Friday). As per the contract, Nadra was to hand over the MRP printing facility to I&P within two months of the start of functioning on October 25, says a press release issued by the Nadra headquarters here on Monday.
The sophisticated machine-readable passports printing facility has so far printed 70,000 high tech machine-readable passports.
However Nadra while fulfilling the contractual obligation would continue to provide the technical assistance to I&P department with regard to the MRP processing and printing till January 25, 2005.
With formal hand-over of printing facility to I&P department, Nadra handed over high-tech inkjet passport printers, high-tech laminators, passport reading machines, computerised quality check stations, computerised packing stations, fully equipped chemical laboratory, hardware laboratory & environmental control system, which are essential for sophisticated machine-readable passports printing.
Immigration & passport department has tested the capacity of MRP printing facility, which is found to be capable of printing 6,000 passports per shift per day.
Nadra had deputed 84 staff members to run this facility whereas only a six-member team will now provide technical assistance for another one month and the rest will report back to headquarters.
According to the statement, with the inauguration of MRP project on October 25, the immigration & passport department had taken control of booking centres within a week while the printing of passports remained Nadra's responsibility until December 24.
From now on, Nadra will be a facilitating agency only providing feedback to I&P department on data verification queries for the machine-readable passports.
Now with the handing over of MRP printing facility, immigration & passport department has assumed full control of the MRP project.
I&P department floated the international tender for the project, which was replied by different foreign bidders including Nadra.
The contract was given to Nadra, which meeting the government's deadline launched the MRP project from five main cities, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar and handed over to I&P department as per the agreement.