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To the Editor...
Letters will only be considered It they carry the writer s full name, address and telephone number (If any). The Identity of the writers will be protected. Letters must be limited to 300 words All letters will be subject to editing.
Dowry
The custom of giving and accepting dowry is mostly found in the rural parts of Bangladesh. Here, some families demand dowry based on the money spent for rearing up a bridegroom!
Frequent quarrels over outstanding dowry often lead to breakdown of husband -wife relationships. Frequent physical oppression on dowry defaulters often leads to premature death of young women.
Educate people on the ill effects of dowry.
Sukumar Sarker (Shaan) Territory Officer Nestle’ Bangladesh Ltd
Nijhum Dwip deer
My previous letter on the subject was a knee-jerk and totally sentimental reaction on the proliferation of the Nijhum Deer, given my lifelong concern for our forests and wildlife. Dr Reza Khan has done an admirable job (DS 12 Sept) in putting the issue in its correct perspective given the present conditions, while mine were at least 40-50 years old. Actually I was influenced by a recent documentary in the National Geographic which depicted a South African couple who reared a pair of tiger cubs on their sprawling farm, cared for them, trained them to hunt and within 2-3 years gradually released them into the wild. Five years later they were flourishing with a family. Imagine wild Bengal tigers in Africa, when this magnificent creature faces decimation in its own homeland!!!
Since one cannot depend on the Forest Dept for such dedication ( DS headline of 30,000 trees plundered on the Cox's Bazar shoreline only reinforces that view), we must look to other means to rear
this God-sent boon for the mutual benefit of all, especially the deer. Therefore, Dr Reza’s options of 1) Restricted hunting and 2) selective cull* ing periodically are perhaps, the best. Briefly, we can follow lire policy of Kenya with regard to hunting of only male antlered deer. Only foreign tourists paying in FE are eligible. Prices are steep because they have organized the whole wildlife tourism into a flourishing industry that now nets them as much as we earn from our garments export. My son who stays there, has taken us on many safaris to some of the more accessible Parks like Tsavo East and West, Ambolesi, Rift Valley and the shoreline resorts and parks that line the 70 .mile stretch from-Mombasa, to kMalindi. What a pity that we cannot replicate what the Kenyans have done, in spite of having better natural spectacles, beauty, possibilities and infrastructure. Declare Nijhum Dwip as a Protected National Park as a first step, but before anything else, get the Forest Dept out of there.
Secondly, we should go for selective culling of a number of deer every year, that can be sold as fresh meat or canned. A small processing unit would pay rich dividends and I am sure the giant local processors like, PRAN, ACI, Square, RahimAfroz etc would take it up as a CSR project even if there is loss initially. Export earnings from venison, skin, antlers, bones, fat etc are also nothing to be sneezed at.
With regard to neutering the deer, I am against it. Why should the deer suffer for the follies and foibles of the human race. Let THEM be neutered and save the planet for the wildlife.
SikanderAhmed
Niketon, Gulshan-1, Dhaka
The city we had
The difference between the two is heaven and earth. About 80% of the city dwellers do not have any idea about the provincial capital Dacca. Months ago I came back to Dhaka from Houston, Texas. It is said that Sugarland is heaven on earth. I do not think it will be out of place to mention Sugarland is what Dacca used to be 40 years ago. Dhaka has gone back many years behind Dacca. The decline began 40 years ago and is still on.
There is a road between Shahbagh and Jahangir Gate used to be known as Airport Road. There was a Fountain at Shahbagh and the road divider was full of Flame 'frees -IKrishnachuras). During-full bloom it looked' magnificent. All most all the roads in Sugarland, Texas, reminds me of those lost days. There was a big tree in front of the Farm Gate Police Box, a lost sight to behold. The invading Pakistani Army chopped down the tree making it easy for the commercial entrepreneurs to build their high-rise buildings.
The Ganny's Departmental opposite GPO reminds me of all the big chain stores in the United States. Volume-wise it is not even a portion of Walmart or Sams Club but the concept was the same. There was a big water body where now stands Basundhara Shopping Complex resulting in flooding with a little rain. Not only this, all most all the ponds and canals have been filled to construct high rise buildings and apartments causing immense sufferings to the city dwellers.
The water supplied by Dacca Wasa used to be one of the best source of drinking water in the world, now it is exactly the opposite. People
coming from abroad are warned by their respective missions in Bangladesh not to drink Dhaka water as a precaution against sickness. The volume of water supplied was much more than what was required compared to today's scanty supply of water and the people were not forced to demonstrate with empty pitchers for water In the streets of Dacca. It used to take only 10 minutes to cover the distance by a car, which now takes 2 hours or even more. In the 1960's double-decker buses were introduced on the streets of Dacca.
While a student of Shaheen School, quite often I used to take a fun ride back home on those double decker buses for only 10 paisas.
Many of us must have forgotten by now that there used be a race course at the Suhrawardy Udyan and the people used to enjoy horse race during their leisure time. It is now a story of the by-gone days.
The King of the jungle and his cohorts are parading the streets of Dhaka on million dollar vehicles without being concerned about the inevitable.
Saleh Ayub One-mail
Trucks or tormentors?
Heavily loaded trucks plying throughout the night has become a headache for the residents of the road from Sutrapur to Postagola, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.
The Sutrapur to Postogola is the only road for Karimullah Beg, RCN Gate, IG Gate, Faridabad and Milbarak areas. There are four high schools, three primary schools, three colonies, police lines and barracks and Anjuman Mofidul Islam office in the area.
Millions of people use this road every day. Most of the time this road remains under repair and the average width of the road is only 15 feet.
Heavily loaded trucks use this road the whole day and their number increases after 6:00 or 7:00pm creating unbearable noise and traffic jam. They .use; this road to avoid traffic police in Jurain and Jatrabari road.
It is tough to cross tlie road during the day. At night crossing the road becomes almost impossible. It is also not possible for the residents to sleep.
In addition, Anjuman Mofidul Islam, a charity organization which has an ambulance service for the patients, cannot operate smoothly due to the jam. There is no traffic police here, especially from the evening. In this situation, people of this area - victims of traffic jam and unbearable noise - have appealed to the authorities concerned to solve the problem.
Most of the residents of the area feel that if the movement of heavy vehicles on the road is stopped, the problem will be solved. If this is not possible, the authorities can set up pole bars at a specific height on the road, especially near Gandaria telephone exchange, so that trucks and other heavy vehicles cannot use the road.
Mohammed Hossain Dhaka
Jamming the wheels
O dear! Life has been glued to the bituminous surface of Dhaka? Not really they are dancing along the road a waltz, or at times samba or hip hop.
1 hope some one will rename this street dance as Dhaka Waltz. The month of Ramadan has witnessed the terrible gridlocks in the city. So gruelling and so frustrating. The working hours, the waiting hours drained at these standstills are never measured. So pathetic for the nation that all have become numb, dumb and deaf.
In recent times one positive thing has transpired. Our national flag has been found in many of the wheel logging. They cannot be given special mileage either!
And my camera within the mobile phone set went click, click. The flag posted cars are not spared either. At least those people inside the privileged cars are aware of this disturbing feat. Long hours inside the car can cause so much mental and physical handicaps. I am thinking dehydration, inhalation of toxic gases, dizziness plus the mental agony. At times you try to shout at your neighbour or scold the vendor trying to sell you the most idiotic items. Are we considering the high cost the nation will be requiring to handle all these ailments. We better do that otherwise we will miss all our pledges for a better off nation. We don't want to become "The Wheels Waltzs."
Ashfaque Ahmed ParibagRoad Dhaka
Commerce minister and TCB Soon after taking over as commerce minister, Faruk Khan issued confusing statements about the role of TCB. He said TCB would have no role in the market and after a few days he stated that it would have a role! Probably, he intended to appease the businessmen with this statement. It is now apparent that this did not work since the price of sugar is now Tk 70 per kg!
Here TCB could have flooded the market with sugar and other essential items well before Ramadan. 1 hope the government will realise its mistake.
Farah Khan
Gulshan, Dhaka
Law secretary
Possibly every local daily, English or Bangla, published on September 14, the statement of the law secretary that he was responsible for unlawful sacking of the two judges.
Can one imagine that the law secretary is unaware of the law and rules and regulations concerning disciplinary action against judges?
S .A. Mansoor
Dhaka
Deed writers
The hand writing of the quack deed writers was a problem for the people in the past. The quacks don't have enough knowledge of land laws. Also, they do not know the latest rules and regulations of land registration system, but they
have established their supremacy in the land registration office.
That is a kind of trap for the general people. Things should change for the better in this respect.
M.SaifulAlam
Anandanagar, Savar, Dhaka
Diplomatsand traffic
Mr. Elahi's IDS 16th September, 2009) point - that no one but the tax payer of a foreign diplomat stationed anywhere has a right to question how the former spend the latter's money - is moot given that I never raised it. My concern is about the use of SUVs by international agencies and abuse of traffic laws and disruption of flow by diplomatic yehicles by blocking busy roads and travelling in an armed convoy as though they were very important state officials of the country. While the diplomats may not be the root cause of the traffic problem, by their apparent misbehaviour, isn't it obvious that they are not helping?
As I stated in my original letter - using the lamenting words of the security guard of the building in Gulshan where a diplomatic car was blocking the road - the traffic sergeants are too scared to bring the diplomats to book. Would Mr. Elahi please point out where else in the world foreign diplomats act in such manner - and perhaps more importantly -get away with it? Not in Ottawa, not in London, not in New Delhi and certainly not in Washington, DC, that's for sure. And if they do, it doesn't take someone like me to have to write a letter of complaint to a national newspaper to get attention. In Bangladesh, where certain diplomats feel free to interfere in all sorts of domestic issues, there is no one in our foreign ministry to bring them to book. Abusing
traffic rules is just another facet of their misdeeds. That is the point.
As for pollution caused by SUVs in general and who the majority operators of such vehicles are, it's something that needs to be regulated by legislation. If these vehicles are operated by international agencies stationed to provide aid and assistance to Bangladesh, then the Bangladeshi taxpayer has a vested interest to question how it is being spent. NGO's should be the target of government regulation to prevent such waste of resources in Bangladesh.
Finally, I beg to differ with Mr. Elahi's prescription about where and how one can raise a complaint. We live in a free world where we can publicly express our views about any matter of public Interest. One's citizenship is absolutely irrelevant a wrong is a wrong no matter who points it out. Similarly, Mr. Elahi is wrong to assume that I am a Canadian citizen like him just because 1 happen to live in a city named Vancouver.
ShabbirA. Bashar, PhD Vancouver, USA
Taxpayers harassed twice
Income Tax & Value Added Tax (VAT) of a business is assessed on the basis of sale or turnover. This is unbelievable but believe it that in Bangladesh the sale or turnover of a business is always assessed twice by two different govt departments & the sale or turnover figure assessed by the two departments for the same business is always different! This funny thing is happening because Income Tax&VAT are assessed by income tax & customs department respectively and there is no coordination between the two departments. As a result, a businessman is harassed
twice for the same business, which is completely unnecessary.
The customs department should handle the duty & tax of goods being exported or imported, to or from other countries only, not inland tax (VAT or sales tax). As far as I know, Bangladesh is the only country in the world where inland tax (VAT or Sales Tax) is collected by the customs department. Around the world, inland tax (VAT or sales tax) is collected by the income tax department along with their regular income tax collection, and thus a businessman is not harassed twice.
Ar if Ah med Businessman Dhaka j
The Baul's passing
Yu in setuud editoiiai entitled1 "The Baul's Passing" published on 14 September seemed to contain certain factual mistakes. You wrote "Education, a difficult proposition for him considering his state of penury, stopped when he was informed by the school authorities that pupils were expected to serve in the First World War. One looking for peace of the soul could not indulge in the honor of war. Karim never went back to school." Karim, the Baul Samrat, was born in 1916, during the First World War (1914-1918). He was two years old when the WW1 ended. As such a suckling baby of his age was not expected to enrol in the school!
How could he then be informed by the school authorities of the then government's intention to recruit school students to join the war?
(The Daily Star takes note of the point and regrets the factual error).
A.N. Mahmood
On e-mail