Corruption weighs bridge down

THERE are many tentacles to corruption. One has only to observe the goings-on at the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge to understand this simple yet outrageous fact of life. The bridge, inaugurated in 1998, is now hostage to two evils. The first is the swift, subtle way in which a large segment of the money collected as toll by the authorities at the bridge disappears into the pockets of officials at various levels. And the second is the manner in which overloaded trucks are allowed a free run of the bridge in exchange of illegal money.

In the first instance, the loss of toll money is a blow to the national exchequer and by extension the public interest. In the second, there is the very real fear that not only is the nexus of corruption being widened but also that holding up overloaded trucks on the bridge could eventually affect the very durability of the bridge. The question now is again the usual, old one: who will step in to take action against the elements which have discovered in the bridge a cash cow they will not easily want to let go of? The darker reality is that the corruption at the bridge is an open secret. It is not just the toll plazas on the bridge where all this illegal gratification goes on. There are too the weighing machines which have added another dimension to the many ways in which theft-oriented officials and others have been keeping themselves happy. Yes, of course, there have been denials.

One way of checking this corruption at the Bangabandhu Bridge is to have an independent inquiry body in place. It will not do at all for a body constituted of government or semi-government officials, for such bodies, in other areas, have in the past disappointed the country. One needs not merely an independent body to ferret out corruption and those involved in it at the bridge. One must also be reassured about, through the establishment of a permanent watchdog, not just for the bridge but also for the overall transport sector, measures that will have as their remit constant watch and prompt action, in case of the slightest sign of wrongdoing, at this and other bridges and on the highways.