The City of Dhaka after Eid

Dhaka is said to be a city of pollution, population, traffic jam and what not. But soon after the Eid i.e. for two to three days it just gave a different look. It was almost deserted. Motorised vehicles were too few. Rickshaws had their hey days but their number also appeared to have waned. There was little air pollution and heaps of garbages around. It seemed to be a quiet city. So much habitable!

The offices were either closed or had skeleton staff to meet the emergencies. Perhaps there was not more than 10 per cent attendance in the government offices. People had made good use of their optional holidays. Someone had observed that instead of allowing optional holiday, it should either be a closed holiday or the system done away with so far Muslim festivals are concerned. And there is logic in it. Most of the people avail of the leave while the office remains open. It is just something like opening of office for opening's sake sans business. This creates problem. A closed holiday will be helpful since everybody would know that during holidays no work is done. But due to such optional holidays, despite offices being opened, there are too few people and no business can be transacted. People seeking business are simply disappointed. Hence there are more arguments for making the optional holidays closed holidays or for keeping so such provision. This is in the interest of the employees as well as the members of the public.

Environment and traffic jam wise Dhaka was better but not law and order wise. Just on Eid day two groups of people traded with lethal weapons and mercilessly injured one another in Agargaon area. They clash continued till late moon. And to the surprise of all the residents there, the members of the law enforcing agencies e.g. the police, turned up much later, when all the deadly game was over. It was not known what made the police stay away from the place of disturbance and then turn up much later to the advantage of none. Such lethargy amounts to serious negligence of duty and perhaps calls for disciplinary action. After all a lot of money is spent for their upkeep. And if they fail even in their primary duty of maintaining law and order then why spend money on them? Some members of the public maintain that if people get no security or protection 'with police' then let them remain so 'without police'. At least in the latter case, some money would be saved in the public exchequer.

The above was a group case of violence and lawlessness. Even the individuals were not spared. A senior officer, Joint Secretary to the Govt. was brutally murdered by the muggers on 11.1.2000 on the university campus around 6-30 a.m. while he was coming from the railway station by a rickshaw. It was done in the broad day light. And there too police had failed miserably to give protection that too to a high official. That being so, the helplessness of the ordinary people could be better understood than described. The more the heinous act is condemned is the less. It is reported that there was a police van standing nearby but to no deterrence to the muggers.

It is unfortunate that before people could appreciate the quietness and pollution free atmosphere of Dhaka city, in came the horrible news of violence and murder. It is further unfortunate that this happened just after the end of the month-long fasting designed to help people attain piety, learn to respect the rights of others and let peace prevail in the society and the world. But regrettably, no sooner had the month-long fasting been over, than in came the usual phenomena of crime, violence and other evils. But it was expected that following the month-long fasting, there would be some improvement. And there was genuine reasons too. A leading vernacular daily informed that during the last holy month of Ramzan, the law and order situation was more or less stable. This was a good piece of news. But alas! it was falsified. This was because people by and large ignore the true spirit and essence of the teachings of Ramzan. Fasting does not mean only staying away from food, drink, even legal sex etc. Its aim is to purify people from sins. Yet sinners are back on the streets of Dhaka. One wonders how much habitable the city will be with them, when law enforcers are incapable or indifferent?