Biman, the Hajjis and beyond

I feel sorry at the plight of the Hajjis. Many of the Hajjis are elderly and are going abroad for the first time. Hajj is a matter of extreme emotion and once a lifetime commitment for any Muslim. Whoever plays with such emotions of the human mind is nothing but a criminal. Biman's Management must be put on the dock and tried in a people's court. It is absurd that so late in the day, it is stuck with such details of asking for landing slots from the Saudi Government. Surely this was a matter that should have been dealt with months ago, indeed a criminal negligence on the part of the Biman. I also fail o understand as to why Biman has to make commitments of carrying an ex number of hajjis when it does not have the required number of aircrafts in its current fleet. It is also mind boggling as to why Biman has to undertake the responsibility of arranging flights of non-ballottee Hajjis or otherwise. No other country including our neighbor India indulges in such a system where Hajjis are transported to the holy land in this process. After all performing of the religious rite is only incumbent on those who can "afford".

The affairs of Biman over the last several months, has only added to our scenario of innumerable failures. Because of the Hajj Flights there has been an all round disruption of its both domestic and international flights causing untold miseries to hundreds of regular travelers to and from Bangladesh. I do not understand as to why no disciplinary action is taken by the Administration against Biman and its officials despite its irregularities and glaring failures by the Organization, the list of which runs into miles. Some one told me that it is all about the travel facilities and the various other perks, its Board Members and their families enjoy including its senior officials. It is they who want Biman to go on since "they have a good thing going for themselves."

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The other alleged vested interests relate to procurement of Aircrafts. It is big money and any body and everybody wishes to dip its fingers into the pie. The worst of all is that, after all this, Biman continually engages itself in purchasing obsolete aircrafts endangering the lives of its passengers and requiring to look for replacement aircrafts every few years. The saga on the purchase and continued operation of the F28 aircrafts is a part of that story. Without a doubt if an independent honest audit of the Biman's operations is carried out it will stand out to be the leading corrupt corporation of the country besides being one that is hurting people more directly than the others.

Without a doubt Biman has become one of the most politicized corporations of the country. Corruption is rampant from the highest management to the level of an ordinary loader and the security staff. Only the other day one of its staff was arrested along with a gang of car thieves in the city. One wonders despite all these endemic ailments which are causing losses of crores of takas to our exchequer and that too taxpayers money how Biman continues to operate? Biman has turned into an apology of a Commercial. Airliner, which continues to tarnish our image both at home and abroad. Biman operates like a delinquent child. Routes are opened at random and then closed down at random. An insider told me that because of the perennial shortage of aircrafts Biman could never make profits out of its operations on the routes to London and the Middle East. Biman is nothing but a story of massive failures, corruption and total inefficiency. Biman's Frankenstein also seems to be its CBA, which often dictates the terms for its senior management.

One may recall that at one time in not too distant a past a move was undertaken to privatize Biman and make it a public corporation with floating of 61 percent as public shares. Apparently the public response was good but God alone knows as to why that process was halted and in whose interest? Under the circumstances there seems to be only one way out, close down its operations. If anything, the nation will be better off. Let the closure take place in phases through a carefully planned process spread over a period of two years. If the Adamjee Jute Mills the largest enterprise of its kind in Asia, could be closed down on account of stagnancy and incurring losses why not Biman? Besides it is also time for the Administration to ask itself as to how critical it is for the country to have its own flag Carrier? Surely we could put the resources to better uses of critical public interest and concerns.

I doubt if any other airline in the world operates under such a chaotic environment like that of the Biman.

Shamsher Chowdhury is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.