Pledges alone!
As usual, the Speaker and his 'Shangshods' pledged a lot to save Dhaka by saving the dying rivers. Since the grabbers and polluters belong to both the parties, they cannot say a harsher word against them. And the FBCCI president! This TV personality pledged nothing on behalf of his community. So, the result will be the same as what happens at the end of all other awareness generating programmes. People will read front-page stories and watch TV reporting and mumble something to themselves and then go to sleep. Our lawmakers, policymakers, administrators and the government know that the courts can do nothing to stop river killing. The court may pass orders but who is going to implement those orders? The same officers who are bribed not to look at grabbers and polluters' misdeeds? The initiative of The Daily Star and Channel i is highly praiseworthy. But how long will they be crying hoarse ? And after a few days our parliamentarians will get down to their business of 'akher guchano' with an attitude of 'who cares if Dhaka's population dies of an epidemic created by polluted water and choked sewerage system'. For the last 38 years, we have been hearing millions of pledges. I urge The Daily Star and Channel i, along with likeminded organisations, to build up the strongest ever public resistance on this issue and compel the government to take stern actions against the culprits, whoever they are.
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