Many people come to Dhaka city every day from across the country. And in between their stay, they want to see Bangladesh National Museum, Ahsan Manzil Museum and some other renowned places. These people along with some Dhaka city dwellers go there and become surprised to find that these museums are only open to the visitors who have bought tickets online. Both the National Museum and the Ahsan Manzil no longer have any physical ticket counters. And so, many families have to turn back or cancel their plans since they cannot buy tickets. Buying online ticket is not easy, either. Both the museums' servers often say that tickets have already run out. There are also other server issues, too. So, it is often seen that people, eagerly waiting at the museum gates, try desperately online but they eventually fail to buy tickets. The visitors, therefore, have to buy tickets at exorbitant prices from the black market.
Both the National Museum and Ahsan Manzil reportedly started selling tickets online after they reopened in August, 2021 following a long closure induced by the Covid-19 pandemic. Visitors have been facing difficulty buying tickets since then. We urge the authorities concerned to make the on-spot ticket counters operational again and also make the online ticket selling service more convenient and accessible. The visitors should have both options available for them since many people are not so tech-savvy and expert in purchasing tickets virtually. At the same time, the authorities must take action against those who sell tickets in the black market and thereby manipulating the system and creating problems for the visitors.
Jeba Tasnim Binta Alamgir,
Student of University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
jebatasnim41@gmail.com