Bus terminal disciplining

The action follows Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's directives to rid the transport sector of virtually a reign of terror being perpetrated by vested quarters. We welcome the crackdown at Syeedabad, Joy Kali Mondir, Gulistan, Mahakhali and Fulbaria bus terminals. We hope this is just the beginning of a bigger campaign.

The essential thing to realise is that the operations have been carried out at the end-point. Just as there are bus terminals all over the country which are plagued by extortionist activities so also are there inter-district highways where illegal toll collection goes on with festive aplomb. All these pastures for extortionist foraging will have to be flushed before we can claim that the transport sector has been chastened.

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The highway and bus terminal criminals have godfathers and leaders behind them. On top, there is the regularly paid-for support of the police behind the syndicates, as it were. Toll collection has become a big enterprise with its board of directors, if you like, and non-contributive shareholders, not to mention the backward and forward linkages they have for self-protection and sustenance.

There are some tell-tale signs: leaders of bus owners and workers associations 'left the terminals keeping their offices closed' during the special operations. They were allegedly collecting several lacs of taka in the name of their associations. Other influential persons have often been blamed for their part in the extortion game. While thinking of maintaining presence of special force at the terminals from now on, the authorities have decided to change the posse frequently so that they did not develop any link with dubious elements. Basically, the thugs will have to be de-fanged in such a way that any future victim will readily come forward to lodge his complaint. That will be the real test of success.

The transport sector's maladies run far too deep to be exorcised at the terminals. Since the government has taken a plunge, it has to go the whole hog by weeding the socio-economic parasites of toll collectors out of the whole network. Till then, let's not rest on the oars of success in a small race.