How mikes and hand mikes infringe privacy in residential areas

Hardly are there silent zones in Dhaka City. But yet not all are hotspots of cacophony too. Usually the commercial areas and intersections of roads near high government offices are full of undesirable noises. Political programmes once added to the nuisance within an expansive area around Paltan, the stadium, Motijheel, Gulistan and Segun Bagicha. Miking for public meetings was unrelenting and high-pitched. All this has ceased to the minimal now-a-days. Meetings, human chains and rallies, protests including fast unto death are now organised on a limited scale in front of the National Press Club. At times a number of organisations or groups start their meetings side by side there and it is difficult to make out whose demand is what.
This may give a false impression that the invasion of noise pollution has more or less become a thing of the past. If anything, noise nuisance has lately been decentralised with unofficial and disorganised bus terminals popping up in residential areas. One such busy bus terminal has come on the scene on the road beside the Japan Garden City in Mohammadpur. Originally, a company used this spot as its terminal. But it is no longer there. In its place three bus companies are operating on Mirpur-Airport and Banai-Airport routes. Another company operates its buses on Mirpur-Banasree and Mohakali-Natun Bazaar routes. These buses are in fierce competition to take passengers and some of the drivers are convinced if they honk repeatedly, passengers will rush to crowd their vehicles.
This is not the only terminal that has been operating in this city without the bare minimum facilities such as passenger sheds and toilet facilities. How a large number of the ticket collectors, helpers and drivers along with those keeping records or regulating the serials of vehicles respond to the call of nature is a shame. The area emanates strong odour of ammonia. All these symptoms of underdevelopment only point to the fact that the authorities concerned hardly think of the future need of this growing city. Thus problems pile up until they lead to an impasse.
The terminal here has made hell of a life for residents on both sides of the road. Unregulated honking has been too pervasive to infringe on the calm and peaceful environment of the area. However, that is not the only infringement on citizen's right to quietude. In fact, noisiness has assumed multitude dimensions. And this is not confined to the area under scrutiny. Apart from the diplomatic zone, most city areas are vulnerable to aggressive promotion of commodities and services over mike or hand-held mike.
One van fitted with a system of recorded miking of gas powder that is claimed to be a killer agent of cockroaches, bedbugs, woodworms and many more makes rounds all day long. At times the canvassing is sure to get on one's nerves because it repeats the same thing time and again. There is no respite from this man's forceful vocal aggression. Another one is hand-miking for collection of disused IPS battery, computer monitor, micro-oven, out-of-order TV and even harmonium. This young fellow also makes several rounds a day in this locality. One wonders, how far do such hawkers and procurers of old and rejected electric or electronic gadgets cover a day.
Of course there are other service providers such as gas oven repairers or men who sharpen billhooks, kitchen knives or reactivate flat grinding stone. Some of them now use the hand mike for announcing their service at your doorstep. Sure enough, at times their arrivals bring relief to worried home-keepers who face trouble grinding spices or slicing fish or vegetables with their blunt billhooks or knives. However, when the service providers continue to break the afternoon silence with their monotonous announcements, things are hardly pleasant ---particularly when it is resting time for people. Whether it is a hand mike or a mike proper, its use should be limited.
Another variant of hand-miking involves young men and women who come for donation with which they feed street children and other helpless people unable to manage their food. Quite a number of foundations have embarked on this noble mission since the pandemic started rampaging unrelentingly. Indeed, their humanitarian service can go ahead if only the well-off contribute to their funds. Their pleas on the hand mike should not count as an infringement of one's privacy.