Ticket black marketing goes on unchecked
Monday, 14 September 2009
Every year, before Eid, village home-bound people leaving large cities, specially Dhaka, are confronted with a great misery. They usually leave the city in great numbers. For example, nearly half of the people of Dhaka city go to their points of origin in rural and semi-rural areas outside Dhaka during the two Eids. But most of the ones who make these journeys are not affluent people. These persons of modest means cannot afford to waste any extra resources, particularly during Eid, when spending for family reasons becomes heavy.
Thus, it becomes a serious burden when a typical such family wanting to travel to a destination outside Dhaka on the occasion of Eid is faced with the problem of collecting bus tickets. They receive the first shock when they are told from bus counters that tickets have been sold out and no more tickets are available. Then they find the tickets in good number near the counters in the hands of black marketers who would sell them not at what their prices should be but several times higher than the prices written on them. This non-availability of tickets in the ticket counters, black marketing and compelling the intending travellers to buy them, have been going on like an unwritten and unchallenged custom year after year at bus, launch and train stations. This increases the travel agonies of people and also severely taxes their modest incomes. Not only the ticket black marketing, even the tickets sold at the counters are also found to be on offer at much higher than their normal prices before the Eid.
People would be very eager to know why these rackets cannot be busted. They have elected a government with a massive mandate and great expectation that it would swing into action to stop the exploitation of common people. Is this issue of ticket black-marketing not one that should have attracted the notice of the government? Should not have the government taken proper measures to redress the problem much earlier? The business of ticket black-marketing this year has blossomed like always in the past. But where is the response of the government to the same?
Clearly, the present conditions could be avoided if the government had planned well in advance by discussing the issues with bus, launch and railway operators. Then, the security forces should have been posted at least two weeks ago at bus, train and launch stations empowered to look into the activities inside ticket-selling counters and for taking proactive actions against organizers of the ticket black marketing. But none of these steps were taken and people were left to the wolves, as always. This is unacceptable.
People, particularly ordinary people, expect a whole lot better performance from this government that claims that it is expressly on their side and wishes to take vigorous steps in their interest. Even now, it is not too late to crack down on the ticket black marketers and relieve home-bound travellers of their agonies on this score with swift and uncompromising law enforcement actions.
Thus, it becomes a serious burden when a typical such family wanting to travel to a destination outside Dhaka on the occasion of Eid is faced with the problem of collecting bus tickets. They receive the first shock when they are told from bus counters that tickets have been sold out and no more tickets are available. Then they find the tickets in good number near the counters in the hands of black marketers who would sell them not at what their prices should be but several times higher than the prices written on them. This non-availability of tickets in the ticket counters, black marketing and compelling the intending travellers to buy them, have been going on like an unwritten and unchallenged custom year after year at bus, launch and train stations. This increases the travel agonies of people and also severely taxes their modest incomes. Not only the ticket black marketing, even the tickets sold at the counters are also found to be on offer at much higher than their normal prices before the Eid.
People would be very eager to know why these rackets cannot be busted. They have elected a government with a massive mandate and great expectation that it would swing into action to stop the exploitation of common people. Is this issue of ticket black-marketing not one that should have attracted the notice of the government? Should not have the government taken proper measures to redress the problem much earlier? The business of ticket black-marketing this year has blossomed like always in the past. But where is the response of the government to the same?
Clearly, the present conditions could be avoided if the government had planned well in advance by discussing the issues with bus, launch and railway operators. Then, the security forces should have been posted at least two weeks ago at bus, train and launch stations empowered to look into the activities inside ticket-selling counters and for taking proactive actions against organizers of the ticket black marketing. But none of these steps were taken and people were left to the wolves, as always. This is unacceptable.
People, particularly ordinary people, expect a whole lot better performance from this government that claims that it is expressly on their side and wishes to take vigorous steps in their interest. Even now, it is not too late to crack down on the ticket black marketers and relieve home-bound travellers of their agonies on this score with swift and uncompromising law enforcement actions.