MAILBOX

Caught Between Dream and Reality

Bangladesh is an overpopulated country, which is burdened with a huge number of unemployed men and women. Every year, huge numbers of these people, unemployed and under employed, go abroad to change their fortune. However, instead of getting a good job they see that they have been tricked by the recruiting agencies into being enslaved in a foreign country by some ruthless employers.  Recently, we have witnessed a number of heart-wrenching accounts given by the abused female workers who went abroad to earn for their families. It is very unfortunate that our government fulfilled its responsibility only by deporting these exploited and abused female workers from Bangladesh, whereas our country's economy is actually run by these workers' hard earned wages. I really appreciate the article titled "Caught between Dreams and Reality" published in Star Weekend on March 3, 2017, as it clearly revealed the terrible condition of the migrant female workers. As the rate of migration of the female workers is increasing by the day, I believe, the government should take immediate steps so that rights of these workers can never be violated in said countries. And, I think, to do so, empowering the respective diplomatic missions and fair monitoring of the overseas recruiting agencies are the most important steps that the government should consider. 

Jahid murad
Dhaka College, Dhaka

Save the Rivers and its Tributaries

Recently, it has been reported that the Bangladesh government has launched a project to dredge 24 major rivers by June 2018. A total of 101.4 million cubic metres of area will be dredged, which will cost Taka 18.73 billion. On completion of the project, heavy water vessels will be able to ply throughout the year that will facilitate movement of passengers and goods at minimum cost. I would like to thank the government for taking such a significant initiative. However, we should remember that these major rivers are actually fed by their hundreds of tributaries spread all over the country. Due to fish cultivation, river encroachment and unplanned irrigation, many of these tributaries have already been covered up. As a result, the quantity of water a major river used to receive has been reduced significantly which contributes to its abnormal siltation during the dry season. To get the full benefit of such a massive dredging project, the tributaries of these twenty four rivers have to be protected from encroachment and should be dredged first. Otherwise, we will not be able to stop the siltation of major rivers.

Md Ashraf Hossain
Central Bashabo, Dhaka

Photo: courtesy

The Forgotten History of Dhaka Gate

I personally want to thank the writer for the article titled "The Forgotten History of Dhaka Gate" published in Star Weekend on February 17, 2017. The well-written piece took us back to the fading history of the ancient, historic Dhaka city, some 354 years ago from the current mechanised city of traffic and pollution. The charm of Mughal Dhaka and its colonial heritage during the British rule has been preserved in these centuries-old structures. However, many of these heritage sites have been engulfed by the jungle of concrete buildings and shopping malls. I felt disheartened to see that the historic Dhaka gate has also become such a victim of our negligence and unplanned urbanisation. The writer has been writing very interesting articles on the lost historical heritages for some time in the past, helping us revisit and rekindle our valuable history. 

Mashudul Haque
Central Road, Dhaka