The celebration of the Eid-ul-Azha festival this year across the country has been marked by extortion of money, to a largely noticeable extent, from the cattle traders.
Organised gangs of extortionists were thus reported to have been seen to stop trucks carrying cattle and harass 'traders' for collecting money at various points on highways, at ferry terminals and points of entry to the capital.
Extortionists and a section of law enforcers did allegedly force the cattle traders to wait for hours at ferry terminals and bridges until they (traders) paid them money. Policemen, however, have denied such allegations. They, as they claimed, had taken stringent measures to check extortion.
Extortion on highways is, of course, nothing new. But it has now gone beyond any tolerable limit. It is alleged that the law enforcers and some quarters under the banners of transport owners and workers' associations were seen collecting tolls illegally from the truck drivers.
Cattle traders alleged that most of the extortion networks were run by the activists of the ruling party. Transport workers were also no exception. They, too, forced traders to contribute money to 'unions' without giving receipts.
Just before advent of the Eid-ul-Azha, most of such criminal gangs became active in the capital although various measures were reportedly taken to help curb their activities by the law enforcers. Such gangs invaded most all business establishments from luxury shopping complexes to roadside vendors, forcing them to pay toll on a daily or periodic basis.
Incidents of extortion do, however, occur in the city almost every day. Most of the cases are not reported to the police for fear of reprisal. Extortion in the transport sector has become so normal that people involved in it consider it their legal business and their right.
Although general diaries (GD) were filed after the extortionists had demanded tolls, the police reportedly took no action. Businessmen, on quite a number of occasions, informed the ministry of home affairs about how much money they had paid to the extortionists and at how many places. The law-enforcing agencies, however, preferred to remain silent on the issue.
Targeting the Eid-ul-Azha festival, extortionists reportedly put up speed bumps at different points on the highways to collect illegal tolls from the cattle-laden trucks in the name of transport associations and under the banner of different front organisations, allegedly again, of the ruling party. A section of law-enforcers, as the allegations say, have also been collecting toll from buses and trucks on the highways.
However, the leaders of the business community at a recent meeting with the officials of the ministry of home affairs at the secretariat had made strong pleas for containing extortion at any cost to help improve the deteriorating law and order situation. They had pointed out that extortion was one of the major reasons for spiralling crimes, including abductions and killings.
It would be, as the businessmen were reported to have said, easier for the law enforcers to tackle other types of crimes if they could successfully contain extortion which is seriously affecting transport sector and other businesses.
Meantime, a parliamentary watchdog has noted that extortion of money, to the tune of Tk 300 million a day, is responsible for the sharp increases in the prices of vegetables in the retail market. A sub-committee of the parliamentary committee on law and order situation, according to reports published in a number of contemporaries, recently said police, influential politicians, administration and trade unions are involved directly in extortion in the transport sector.
Some years ago, two cabinet ministers acknowledged that inherent weaknesses of the administration were largely responsible for rising incidents of extortion. Due to pervasive cases of extortion at different points of highways, prices of vegetable and other essential commodities are not coming down, they said.
The price gap between growers' level and retail markets in the capital city is very wide. A good number of traders do reportedly make profits even after paying a substantial amount of money as toll. In such ways, the farmers and the city dwellers are cheated at the hands of extortionists and a section of dishonest traders.
Market watchers believe that the country's economic growth could have been much higher if the bribes and extortions in government offices could be checked. The extortions on highways by goons, claiming their allegiance to the powerful political circles, and some law enforcing personnel do otherwise add to the transport costs and contribute, to a considerable extent, to hikes in prices of commodities.
Various chambers of commerce have, of late, repeatedly tried to address the multifarious problems the transporters are facing. But no substantive actions have so far come from the ministry of home affairs to help tackle the issue properly.
It is critically important to promote people's respect for law. But if 'powerful quarters' do not follow the standard rules of the game, it is well-nigh impossible to help foster such a culture - demonstration of respect for rule of law by all concerned. Unfortunately for the ordinary citizens, unlawful actions by the vested interest groups tend to run afoul of the dire needs to follow the standards rules for the purpose.
szkhan@dhaka.net