Extortionists' heyday before Eid
Strengthen police presence and highway patrol
Professional rent-seekers and criminals have seemingly established a hold in different parts of the city as well as on the inter-district highways. According to police, more than three hundred notorious criminals have reportedly become active within the city alone. They have been threatening citizens they have targeted for extortion of dire consequences over phone or with letters, in case they fail to meet their demands.
As there are instances of police inaction after complaints, or extortionists getting bail even after their arrest, many victims found it safer to accept the criminals' demands without complaining to the police.
Outside the capital city, the travellers are at the mercy of highwaymen as well as rent-seekers of various hues. This rise in extortionist activities is an annual feature, so is the claims by the authorities over beefing up security for the Eid shoppers, travellers and traders in the city and on the highways. There is a disconnect between claims and the ground realities.
On the pretext of stopping illegal toll collection at the ferry terminals, the shipping minister's suggestion that toll collection by transport owners' and workers' associations would be legitimised has raised further concern. This could only fuel extortions in general.
The idea of maintaining discipline at the ferry terminals by transport owners' and workers' associations is a novelty, but it would need to be supervised by the law-enforcement agencies. They should not be adversarial but cooperative towards each other.
Overall, the local administrations should not only discourage extortion, but also energetically pursue all agencies concerned to maintain discipline and enhance safety of life and property. Let the government at the appropriate levels intervene where necessary to make the transition to Eid tension-free.
In particular, measures would need to be put in place to curb overloading and speeding of transports to avert accidents. Their number is usually very high during pre-and post-Eid travelling.
The tragedies should be avoided.
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