Eid and mounting extortion

At the time of Eid festivals, extortion business is rampant. Musclemen and influential people with political links with help from a section of unscrupulous members of law enforcing agencies, get down to business of extorting money in the name of toll. It has now become a norm in our society. The higher authorities of the law enforcing agencies are aware of it, but they often turn a blind eye to it and we see a rise in extortion. The price of extortion is ultimately paid by the common people as the traders add the same to the prices of their products. If the government can stop this toll being raised from the people, prices of many products would have been lower.
The transport sector particularly is infested with extortion business and no one is taking any notice of it. The roadside vendors or the footpath traders also pay tolls regularly to unseen lords as well as the law enforcing agency members. For some people having a strong political clout has become good source of income as they have no moral scruples and they always prefer to side with the ruling party. If this rampant extortion is not held back, then it will further deteriorate in the coming days. I hope the media will continue and intensify its campaign against the ongoing extortion so that the government is compelled to take action against the people who are involved.
Nadim Javed
Tejgoan,  Dhaka