Sale of pirated books
Barua's report from Chittagong on the matter in your issue of April 24 saddened me. True, it deprives the government of revenue in terms of import duties and VAT etc. However the really deprived are the poor, even middle class students, the vast majority whose need for reasonably priced books have been severely undermined-- given the prohibitive prices of original prints! This is an area where a lenient approach from the authorities would be really beneficial for a large majority of students, who depend on pirated books for higher and technical studies!
For example; the price of an original Nestler's "Atlas of Human Anatomy" will be a four figure amount in taka, whereas a pirated copy can be had for a few hundred taka--the price depending on the quality of copying of the print and illustrations! How many middle class medical students can afford the original one?
This is a subject, where I strongly believe that the authorities as well as all concerned (including press reporters) follow the golden saying; "See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil" for the greater good of all. I hope our authorities too will appreciate this viewpoint.
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