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TO THE EDITOR
Theft of telephone cable
Here is another example of poor governance in a deteriorating society. Our residential fixed line telephone of TNT went out of order (no dial tone) after four days of the preceding repair. I went to the nearby field T&T office to register the complaint, and was told that a section of the telephone cable had been stolen.
This is a new social menace. If such thefts occur at 50 points in the vast city each week, how the telephone service would run efficiently? It is not possible to guard every 100 yards of line by the night guards who patrol the mohalla section of locality at night blowing away their whistle (he is alone, and could be easily overpowered by the miscreants).
Other examples are the theft of manhole covers and steel railings around public parks (no flood-
lights). The mega-expensive subway rail project can come later, what has happened to the sense of priority in public services? Learn first to overcome the small problems, before thinking big, when we are lousy in maintenance service.
A Abad, Dhaka
Corruption at Benapole
To a young mind as mine who did not yet leave college campus, the world of rampant corruption and bribery within the ambit of government officials was so long out of practical experience. Though I very often come across stories and learn from newspapers about corruption having eaten up Bangladesh. An urgent visit to Kolkata recently through the Benapole border and return by the same route struck me with that experience. To speak the truth, the immi-
gration police officer, custom officials and BDR personnel make no secret of the practice with the hundreds crossing the border daily. Even the officials at bank operating to collect immigration/embarkation fees make it incumbent to pay them in excess of the prescribed amount on the plea they are not supposed to start their work so early in the morning. All night coach passengers reach border just at the day break.
No hide and seek or shame in asking for money. The immigration police official who is to verify the passport/visa and see if the holder is any one of the unwanted list or with any doubtful credentials, will not put his signature and stamp until paid some extra. If bad luck descends on you, you have to get out of his clutch by coming to terms with him paying a respectable amount. Anybody daring to argue will be driven into a corner, be hard put to undesired grilling that would
cause him delay and would miss the bus on the Indian side of the frontier. But if you are one of the passengers of the luxury coach with ticket up to Calcutta (fare is Tk 700) you need not go to the bank or face the immigration police officer. The coach supervisor deposits your fees to the bank and gets your passport signed and stamped, thanks to the clandestine arrangement to pay them certain agreed amount per passport. Hence the high charge of coach fare.
Then for your custom clearance you will stand on the queue before the custom house with your passport and a hundred taka note in hand. Oh God! No checking, nor any query. The custom subordinate staff will promptly take you to pass through giving the officers the nod that the payment has been made. There are hardly a few who refuse to pay and who try to do so with gruelling hassle only to give in to their demands.
Few hundreds of people from Bangladesh go to India daily for medical treatment and other purposes and they return in same number. While returning you may have your bag(s) filled with what you have liked and bought from a foreign land with whatever money you could save. But you will confront BDR personnel who are to pass you on to the custom after a glance at you and of your passport, maybe to be sure that you are the person who had gone this way and has come back, also just to receive you from the Indian BSF who let you pass off their check-post. The BDR personnel keep no record. But they have their eyes on your luggage, and scare you out for what you have brought though you have brought nothing prohibited under the custom law. This is however the sole discretion of the custom officials.
Ahmed Niaz
Shekhertek, Mohammadpur,
Dhaka
use of solar energy
Why solar energy electricity generation is not picking up in Bangladesh, and getting popular like the craze for mobile telephones? The RE (renewable energy) technology has yet to make its presence felt in the developing countries.
It is not that the government or the international agencies are not taking interest. Under the UNEP and other forcing donor agencies, some pilot projects are being encouraged in Bangladesh, and our REB (Rural Electrification Board) is also aware of the advantages and applications. The question is of its availability at different economic levels.
It comes down to the economics of marketing. The current production rate of electricity from solar units is around $6-9 per installed watt, while experts predict lowering of the cost to around a dollar per watt within a decade. But the R&D
(research and development) in the industrialised countries is lagging behind by about two decades, due to lack of interest and official patronage; so long fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) are available cheaply. No one knows the extent of the untapped reserves below the surface, and how long it would last.
There is an international society to look after RE sector, known as ISES -- International Solar Energy Society. The name of its official journal/magazine is Refocus. It has to make its presence felt in the Third World.
Japan is leading in the use of RE. The production of PV (photovoltaic) cells doubled within 20002003. The initial investment cost is high. The other alternatives are wind turbine, use of the water tides, and bio-gas.
In Europe more than half of the total energy use is for house warming and water heating (in a temperate Zone). This green energy can
prevent 80 percent of environmental pollution, once cheap technology is available for mass production and use all over the world, including the third world countries.
It appears that R&D is rather a hush-hush affair, as energy control is a powerful political weapon. Recent research items to overcome the cost barrier relate to ECHP/ SCHP or concentrating PV-thermal technology.
According to scientific predictions, the world is going a face a severe water shortage globally. Processing of sea water for human uses is costly from the energy expenditure angle. If cheaper solar units could purify seawater, a great problem would be solved.
It is time for Bangladesh to start thinking about an Energy Master Plan for the coming decades.
A M M A Abad
Dhaka