Whose responsibility to give people some relief during Eid?
Friday, 27 November 2009
Enayet Rasul Bhuiyan
FOR the teeming millions of the non affluent in Bangladesh, the two religious festivals of the Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, come as occasions to enjoy some respite from the every day drudgery of their existence from poverty and deprivation. They are seen doing everything conceivable on their own to feel better off in these periods of festivity. But notwithstanding their efforts, many of them very regrettably find themselves afflicted with all kinds of hardships in these periods that only spoil their aspired merriment.
For example, there was expectation during the Eid-ul-Fitr that was observed two months ago that people would not have to suffer again from a tremendous harassment they had been subjected to during all Eids for many years in succession. It is noted every year before the Eid that people who go out of Dhaka city to spend the Eid holidays with their near and dear ones in villages and elsewhere, confront a crisis of not getting their tickets for train, bus or steamer journeys at ticket counters . They are told from the counters that tickets have been sold out when, in reality, the tickets are found always available in the hands of ticket black marketers very near these counters.
With no other choice, people are forced to buy these tickets from black marketers at the demanded cut throat prices. For instance, a bus ticket for a destination in one of the northern districts, is no more than, say, Taka 200. But the ticket black marketer forces the buyer to buy it for no less than Taka 350 or more. Let us imagine the distress, thus, caused to a family of modest means from such rip-off who have to travel to a northern district on the occasion of the Eid. If, for example, the main earning member of the family does a petty job in a private firm and family members are five, the family is forced to surrender some 750 taka to ticket black marketers. This must be a significant drain on its meager resources. With this amount not surrendered, they could buy a few more things for their near and dear ones or be under less financial stress on the whole in the festival period.
Every time, governmental authorities declare their resolve to check this harassment of the people only to violate the same or watch passively as the ticket black marketers take on their preys. Why is this hypocrisy? People who go out of Dhaka during the Eid are estimated to be no less than 7.0 or 8.0 million out of over 13 million residents of the city. The greater number of them are considered as persons of modest financial means. They make a gigantic travel effort and it becomes the responsibility of any government worth the name to make their journeys as stress free as possible in all respects.
A new government was elected to power which won people's confidence with its oft repeated slogan of being on the side of common people. But how this government is redeeming its pledges of taking pro-poor policies ? The lot of the travelling people remained as stressed as ever during the last Eid-ul-Fitr from ticket black marketing, price escalations of essentials and law and order problems. It was only hoped that a government that declared itself as on the side of the people would surely learn from the dismal experience of the last Eid and gird up its loins in time to prevent a repeat of the same during this present Eid. But only about two days are left before Eid-ul-Azha but no positive ground level changes from the past are noted as people scramble to depart from the city. Once again the ticket black marketers and other oppressors are ruling the roost as law enforcers turn a blind eye to the same. The prices of essentials have jumped up by as much as 20 or 30 per cent recently without any justification according to the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB). But no intervention of the government operated Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is seen in the markets to help a downward trend in the prices of essentials -- specially of the kitchen items used during Eid-ul-Azha.
Ticket black marketing is only one aspect of the sufferings of people, though a serious one, during Eid time. There are others. For example, there is no knowing to what extent the longing of the greatest number of people who are looking forward to sacrificing animals during the Eid-ul-Azha, would be fulfilled. According to media focuses, prices of the sacrificial animals are noted to be high. But it should be the aim to create conditions for sale of these animals at affordable prices to the people. Achieving this goal can make it possible for the greatest number to carry out their religious duties and also lead to greater yields of hides and skins. If policies are timed and carried out well, then these yields of hides and skins can remain in the country without getting smuggled out. From value-additions, these would fetch higher values for the economy.
But these ends can be met only on keeping the whole process of bringing the animals to the selling points in Dhaka and other major cities without toll collections. As it is, the animal sellers have to part with good amounts of money as tolls at many unauthorised points on the way before reaching their final destinations. Understandably, they try to compensate for this by hiking up their demanded prices from the buyers. Here also, government has a role to play in enabling relatively toll free arrival of the sacrificial animals to the cities and then preventing smuggling out of the hides and skins. Government policies can facilitate the local buying up of the hides and their local use to create value-additions.
FOR the teeming millions of the non affluent in Bangladesh, the two religious festivals of the Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, come as occasions to enjoy some respite from the every day drudgery of their existence from poverty and deprivation. They are seen doing everything conceivable on their own to feel better off in these periods of festivity. But notwithstanding their efforts, many of them very regrettably find themselves afflicted with all kinds of hardships in these periods that only spoil their aspired merriment.
For example, there was expectation during the Eid-ul-Fitr that was observed two months ago that people would not have to suffer again from a tremendous harassment they had been subjected to during all Eids for many years in succession. It is noted every year before the Eid that people who go out of Dhaka city to spend the Eid holidays with their near and dear ones in villages and elsewhere, confront a crisis of not getting their tickets for train, bus or steamer journeys at ticket counters . They are told from the counters that tickets have been sold out when, in reality, the tickets are found always available in the hands of ticket black marketers very near these counters.
With no other choice, people are forced to buy these tickets from black marketers at the demanded cut throat prices. For instance, a bus ticket for a destination in one of the northern districts, is no more than, say, Taka 200. But the ticket black marketer forces the buyer to buy it for no less than Taka 350 or more. Let us imagine the distress, thus, caused to a family of modest means from such rip-off who have to travel to a northern district on the occasion of the Eid. If, for example, the main earning member of the family does a petty job in a private firm and family members are five, the family is forced to surrender some 750 taka to ticket black marketers. This must be a significant drain on its meager resources. With this amount not surrendered, they could buy a few more things for their near and dear ones or be under less financial stress on the whole in the festival period.
Every time, governmental authorities declare their resolve to check this harassment of the people only to violate the same or watch passively as the ticket black marketers take on their preys. Why is this hypocrisy? People who go out of Dhaka during the Eid are estimated to be no less than 7.0 or 8.0 million out of over 13 million residents of the city. The greater number of them are considered as persons of modest financial means. They make a gigantic travel effort and it becomes the responsibility of any government worth the name to make their journeys as stress free as possible in all respects.
A new government was elected to power which won people's confidence with its oft repeated slogan of being on the side of common people. But how this government is redeeming its pledges of taking pro-poor policies ? The lot of the travelling people remained as stressed as ever during the last Eid-ul-Fitr from ticket black marketing, price escalations of essentials and law and order problems. It was only hoped that a government that declared itself as on the side of the people would surely learn from the dismal experience of the last Eid and gird up its loins in time to prevent a repeat of the same during this present Eid. But only about two days are left before Eid-ul-Azha but no positive ground level changes from the past are noted as people scramble to depart from the city. Once again the ticket black marketers and other oppressors are ruling the roost as law enforcers turn a blind eye to the same. The prices of essentials have jumped up by as much as 20 or 30 per cent recently without any justification according to the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB). But no intervention of the government operated Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) is seen in the markets to help a downward trend in the prices of essentials -- specially of the kitchen items used during Eid-ul-Azha.
Ticket black marketing is only one aspect of the sufferings of people, though a serious one, during Eid time. There are others. For example, there is no knowing to what extent the longing of the greatest number of people who are looking forward to sacrificing animals during the Eid-ul-Azha, would be fulfilled. According to media focuses, prices of the sacrificial animals are noted to be high. But it should be the aim to create conditions for sale of these animals at affordable prices to the people. Achieving this goal can make it possible for the greatest number to carry out their religious duties and also lead to greater yields of hides and skins. If policies are timed and carried out well, then these yields of hides and skins can remain in the country without getting smuggled out. From value-additions, these would fetch higher values for the economy.
But these ends can be met only on keeping the whole process of bringing the animals to the selling points in Dhaka and other major cities without toll collections. As it is, the animal sellers have to part with good amounts of money as tolls at many unauthorised points on the way before reaching their final destinations. Understandably, they try to compensate for this by hiking up their demanded prices from the buyers. Here also, government has a role to play in enabling relatively toll free arrival of the sacrificial animals to the cities and then preventing smuggling out of the hides and skins. Government policies can facilitate the local buying up of the hides and their local use to create value-additions.