Causes of Traffic Jam of Dhaka City [ ঢাকা শহরে যানজটের প্রধান কারণ সমূহ]

Traffic Jam of Dhaka City is the major problem

Dhaka is the capital and the most populated city of Bangladesh. Most of the headquarters of the government and private offices are concentrated in Dhaka. Moreover the major businesses are also conducting from Dhaka. The important educational institutions and health care facilities are also concentrated in Dhaka. So Dhaka has become the crowded city and it is overburdened with enormous pressure of vehicles. Traffic Jam of Dhaka City has gone to the intolerable stage in recent time.

The reason for traffic jam of Dhaka City

♦ Traffic Jam of Dhaka city is crossing the limit of tolerance of the people. It is difficult to move in the Dhaka city during the working hours. Most of the roads become stagnant for the huge number of vehicles in the day time. Though the population has raised significantly but the infrastructures of the roads and communication of the Dhaka city did not flourish with the demand of time. However the important causes of the traffic jam of Dhaka city are:

Poor infrastructures of the roads and communication

 Dhaka City Corporation is the concern authority for looking after the infrastructures of the roads and communication of Dhaka city. This authority could not develop the infrastructures of the roads of Dhaka according to the demand of time. If we compare the ratio between the expansion of the city and the new roads, we will find poor performance of Dhaka City Corporation. Roads of Dhaka City are not sufficient to bear the load of the huge number of vehicles and peoples. But the number of vehicles and population of Dhaka City is increasing daily. So the traffic jam is also increasing remarkably.

Over population

 Huge number of people has also over burdened Dhaka. It has also increased the number of vehicles in the roads of the Dhaka city. So over population is one of the significant causes of the traffic jam of Dhaka City.

♦ Variety of vehicles: We can see various types of vehicles in the roads of Dhaka City. Some of them are slow moving vehicles. This slow moving vehicles create the obstacle for the fast moving vehicles. So the overall movement of the vehicles is slow in the roads of Dhaka City. It is one of the most important causes of traffic jam of Dhaka City. 

♦ Poor knowledge about traffic laws: Most of the drivers of our various types of vehicles of Dhaka city have not adequate knowledge about the traffic laws. So they drive improperly which also creates the traffic jam in Dhaka City. 

♦ Violation of the traffic laws: Many people of the Dhaka City have the tendency to violate the traffic rules. It is also one of the most significant causes of the traffic jam of Dhaka. 

♦ Roadside Hawkers: Hawkers of the Dhaka city has occupied a large portion of the roads. It is also a great obstacle for free movement of the vehicles. 

♦ Irregular parking of the vehicles: There are many markets and shopping malls in Dhaka City. But the parking arrangement of these markets and malls are very much insufficient. Many vehicles occupy the roads by parking in front of these markets and malls. We can see the same scenario in front of the schools, clinics and hospitals. It is one of the most important causes of the traffic jam of Dhaka city. 

♦ Commercial malls, schools and clinics in the residential areas: We can see so many commercial buildings, malls, clinics, schools and universities in the residential areas of Dhaka city. It has increased the movement of the people as well as movement of the vehicles in the residential areas. But the roads and parking facilities of the vehicles in these residential areas are very much insufficient. It is also increasing the traffic jam of Dhaka city.

♦ Lack of sufficient human resources and weak implementation of traffic rules: Dhaka has become a mega city nowadays. But the members of the traffic police did not increase with the demand of time. So it really difficult to maintain the traffic rules and regulations by the present members of the traffic police. Weak implementation of the traffic rules is also an important cause of the traffic jam of Dhaka city. 

♦ Lack of effective plan and strategies: Dhaka City Corporation and the department of the traffic police could not prepare the effective plans and the strategies for the development of the traffic system of Dhaka City. It is also a significant cause of the traffic jam of Dhaka. 

The Role of Ready Made Garments in Bangladesh Economy [ বাংলাদেশের অর্থনীতিতে তৈরি পোশাক শিল্পের অবদান]

Ready Made Garments in Bangladesh Economy

বাংলাদেশের অর্থনীতিতে তৈরি পোশাক শিল্প

বাংলাদেশ বিশ্বের ৫০টির অধিক দেশেে পোশাক রপ্তানি করছে। বাংলাদেশের তৈরি পোশাকের প্রধান ক্রেতা দেশ মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র, যুক্তরাজ্য(UK), ফ্রান্স, কানাডা, জার্মানি, বেলজিয়াম, এবং মধ্যপ্রাচ্যের দেশসমূহ। তবে মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রই (USA) হলো বাংলাদেশী পোশাকের সবচেয়ে বড় ক্রেতা। মোট রপ্তানি আয়ের ৫৬ শতাংশ যুক্তরাষ্ট্র থেকে অর্জিত হয়। দ্বিতীয় বৃহত্তম বাজার হল ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়ন (EU) । পোশাক শিল্পে বর্তমানে প্রায় ৮৪টি ক্যাটাগরি আছে। এর মধ্যে বাংলাদেশ ৪০টি ক্যাটাগরি উৎপাদন করে থাকে।
বাংলাদেশের গার্মেন্টস শিল্প (Garments Industry) অগ্রবর্তী প্রভাব(Forward Linkage) এবং পশ্চাৎ প্রভাব (Backward Linkage) এর মাধ্যমে ব্যাপক অর্থনৈতিক উন্নয়নের দ্বার উদঘাটন করেছে।

♦ রপ্তানি বাণিজ্য: আশির দশকে দেশের রপ্তানি বাণিজ্যে গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের অবদান ছিল না। বর্তমানে মোট রপ্তানি আয়ের ৮২ শতাংশ গার্মেন্টস এর অবদান। প্রায় ৫০০টি বায়িং হাউস গার্মেন্টস সামগ্রী ক্রয় বিক্রয়ে নিয়োজিত আছে।
♦ কর্মসংস্থান: যেসব অদক্ষ মহিলা শ্রমিক হতাশায় বিনিদ্র রজনী যাপন করতো তাদের সুনিপুণ হাত লেগে আছে বিশ্ববাজারের জন্য পোশাক তৈরির কাজে। প্রায় ৪০ লক্ষ শ্রমিকের কর্মসংস্থান হয়েছে গার্মেন্টস শিল্পে যাদের অধিকাংশই মহিলা।
♦ উদ্যোক্তা সৃষ্টি: কৃষি ভিত্তিক বাংলাদেশে গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের মাধ্যমে কয়েক হাজার শিল্প উদ্যোক্তা সৃষ্টি হয়েছে। এসব উদ্যোক্তা যেমন ব্যবস্থাপনা ক্ষেত্রে দক্ষ, তেমনি তাদের রয়েছে আধুনিক দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি। বাংলাদেশের ক্ষুদ্র অর্থনীতি এসব দক্ষ উদ্যোক্তার সুনিপুণ প্রচেষ্টায় শিল্পোন্নত অর্থনীতিতে পরিণত হবে।
♦ বস্ত্র শিল্প: গার্মেন্টস শিল্প বাংলাদেশে বিভিন্ন স্পিনিং, উইভিং, নিটিং, ডাইং, ফিনিশিং, এবং প্রিন্টিং শিল্পে বিনিয়োগের সম্ভাবনা নিয়ে এসেছে। এতে দেশে বহু বস্ত্র শিল্প গড়ে উঠেছে।

♦ প্রসাধন শিল্প: গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের প্রভাবে বাংলাদেশে প্রসাধন শিল্প প্রসারিত হয়েছে। কারণ গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকদের মধ্যে প্রসাধন চর্চার হার বেশি।
♦ পরিবহন ও বন্দর ব্যবহার: গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের সামগ্রী আমদানি ও রপ্তানির ফলে বন্দর থেকে ফ্যাক্টরি পর্যন্ত পরিবহণ শিল্পের অগ্রগতি  এবং  বন্দরের অধিক ব্যবহারের ফলে আয়ও বৃদ্ধি পাচ্ছে।
♦ প্যাকেজিং শিল্পের প্রসার: গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের প্রভাবে প্যাকেজিং, গার্মেন্টস, জিপার, বোতাম, বহু প্রকার প্যাকেজিং শিল্পের প্রসার ঘটেছে।

♦ এছাড়া গার্মেন্টস শিল্পে বিনিয়োগ করে করে ব্যাংক লাভবান হচ্ছে, বীমা কোম্পানির প্রিমিয়ামের পরিমাণ বাড়ছে, বাংলাদেশে নতুন নতুন প্রযুক্তির আগমন ঘটছে, আন্তর্জাতিক পরিমন্ডলে বাংলাদেশের পরিচিতি ও অবস্থান পাকা হচ্ছে।

গার্মেন্টস শিল্পের বিকাশের সাথে সাথে দেশে অর্থনীতির অন্যান্য খাতেরও বিকাশ সৃষ্টি হয়েছে। ব্যাংকিং ও বীমা খাত, পরিবহণ ও যোগাযোগ খাত, নির্মাণ খাত, গবেষণা ও শিক্ষা খাত, শিপিং ও কার্গো খাত, এবং স্থল বন্দরে প্রাণচাঞ্চল্য দেখা দিয়েছে। এর পেছনে মূল কারণ গুলো হল:
♦ সরকারি পৃষ্ঠপোষকতা ও অনুকূল ভূমিকা
♦সস্তা, সুশৃঙ্খল এবং কর্মমুখী শ্রমিক শ্রেণী
♦ দেশের নিবেদিত প্রাণ উদ্যোক্তা শ্রেণী
♦ উন্নত ধরণের পোশাক তৈরি
♦ বিশ্ববাজারে সহজে প্রবেশের সুযোগ
♦ কাঁচামাল আমদানিতে শিথিল নীতিমালা
♦ সরকারি ও বেসরকারি ব্যাংকসমূহের সহযোগিতা ইত্যাদি।

বাংলাদেশের পোশাক শিল্পের সমস্যা

বহুবিধ সুযোগ সুবিধা থাকা সত্ত্বেও বাংলাদেশের পোশাক শিল্পকে এখনো নানাবিধ চ্যালেঞ্জ মোকাবিলা করতে হচ্ছে। সরকার পোশাক শিল্পের অনুকূলে প্রায় মুদ্রার অবমূল্যায়ন করে যাচ্ছে। তথাপিও সুদের হার এবং অন্যান্য আর্থিক নীতি এ খাতের অনুকূল নয়।
♦ যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থা এবং বন্দর সুবিধাও পর্যাপ্ত নয়। অসুবিধাসমূহের মধ্যে উল্লেখযোগ্য হচ্ছে বিভিন্ন ধরণের অস্পষ্ট খরচ। ফাইল মুভমেন্ট, এলসি খোলা, মাল খালাস প্রভৃতি ক্ষেত্রে নানা ধরণের অস্পষ্ট ব্যয় ঘটছে যা এ শিল্পকে দারুণভাবে ক্ষতিগ্রস্থ করছে। এর ফলে উৎপাদন ব্যয়ও বেড়ে যাচ্ছে।

তাছাড়া চট্টগ্রাম বন্দর থেকে কাঁচামাল ঢাকার কারখানায় পৌঁছাতে যেখানে সাতদিন লাগার কথা, সেখানে বর্তমানে প্রায় একুশ দিন লেগে যায়। বাংলাদেশ যদিও মুদ্রার অবমূল্যায়ন করে যাচ্ছে, তারপরও প্রতিযোগি দেশ আরো বেশি হারে মুদ্রা অবমূল্যায়ন করে যাচ্ছে। ফলে বাংলাদেশের গার্মেন্টস তীব্র প্রতিযোগিতার সম্মুখীন হচ্ছে।

Traffic Jam In Dhaka City [ ঢাকা শহরে যানজট সমস্যা সমাধানের জন্য আমাদের করণীয়]

রাজধানী ঢাকার যানজট (Traffic Jam of Dhaka City) এখন নিত্যদিনের সমস্যা। প্রতিদিনই এ সমস্যা তীব্র থেকে তীব্রতর হচ্ছে। অবর্ণনীয় দুর্ভোগ আর দুর্বিষহ এ যানজটের পিছনে রয়েছে নানাবিধ কারণ। যেমন- অনিয়ন্ত্রিত যানবাহন বৃদ্ধি, সড়কস্বল্পতা, অবৈধ পার্কিং ও রাস্তা দখল, প্রাইভেট কারের আধিক্য, রেলক্রসিং, অকার্যকর ও ত্রুটি পূর্ণ ট্রাফিক সিগন্যাল ব্যবস্থা, যত্রতত্র বাস কাউন্টার স্থাপন, রাস্তার দুপাশে অপরিকল্পিতভাবে পণ্যবাহী ট্রাক রাখা, অযাচিত রিক্সার বৃদ্ধি, ঢাকা কেন্দ্রিক সকল উন্নয়ন কর্মকান্ড, ঢাকামুখী জনস্রোত, ট্রাফিক পুলিশের অপ্রতুলতা এবং ট্রাফিক আইন না মানার প্রবণতা প্রভৃতি। এসব কারণ এবং যুগ যুগ ধরে সৃ্ষ্ট অনিয়ম আর প্রয়োজনীয় পদক্ষেপের অভাবে ঢাকা ও তার আশপাশের শহরগুলোর যানজট পরিস্থিতি এখন চরমে পৌঁছেছে। এ জটিল অবস্থা থেকে উত্তরণে প্রয়োজন সময়োপযোগী ও বাস্তবভিত্তিক বিভিন্ন স্বল্প, মধ্য ও দীর্ঘমেয়াদি পরিকল্পনার সফল বাস্তবায়ন।
সুস্থ ও সুন্দর জীবনযাপনের জন্য প্রতিটি নাগরিকের পরিচ্ছন্ন প্রাকৃতিক পরিবেশ অপরিহার্য। কিন্তু যানজট বা যানবাহন সৃষ্ট দূষণে রাজধানীর ঢাকার পরিবেশ মারাত্মক দূষণের শিকার। যার অন্যতম কারণ হল বায়ু দূষণ ও শব্দ দূষণ। বায়ু দূষণের প্রধান কারণ হল ঢাকায় যানবাহনের অনিয়ন্ত্রিত বৃদ্ধি। এসব যানবাহনের নির্গত ধোঁয়া ও গ্যাস সামগ্রিকভাবে ঢাকার বায়ুকে প্রবলভাবে দূষিত করছে। ফলে সুস্থ স্বাস্থ্যের পরিবেশ বিঘ্নিত হয়ে জনস্বাস্থের প্রতি হুমকি সৃষ্টি করছে। শাসতন্ত্রের সংক্রমণ ও অসুখ বিসুখের ১০ শতাংশ এ বায়ু দূষণের কারণে হয়। বায়ুতে থাকা বস্তুকণার নানা ধরণেন বিষক্রিয়ায় আক্রান্ত হচ্ছে মানুষ। বাংলাদেশ সরকার ও বিশ্বব্যাংক পরিচালিত এক সমীক্ষায় বায় দূষণকে রোগাক্রান্ত হওয়ার একটি প্রধান কারণ হিসেবে চিহ্নিত করা হয়েছে।

অন্যদিকে ঢাকার যানবাহনের অযাচিত বিকট হর্ন দ্বারা সৃষ্ট শব্দ দূষণও মারাত্বক পর্যায়ে পৌছেছে। বিশ্বস্বাস্থ্য সংস্থা, ইউনিসেফ, ও বিশ্বব্যাংকের একাধিক গবেষণায় বলা হয়েছে - ৩০টি কঠিন রোগের কারণ হল পরিবেশ দূষণ, যার মধ্যে শব্দ দূষণ অন্যতম। কেননা শ্রবণেন্দ্রিয় শক্তির হ্রাস সহ ব্যক্তির মস্তিষ্কে নানারকম জটিলতা, ও মানসিক অবসাদের কারণ হল এই শব্দ দূষণ। ঢাকর মানুষ বাড়ার সঙ্গে সঙ্গে অপরিকল্পিত যানবাহন বৃদ্ধির ফলে ভয়াবহ স্বাস্থ্য ঝুঁকির মধ্যে পড়েছে রাজধানী।

যানজট সমস্যা সমাধানের সরল সমীকরণরূপে নিম্নলিখিত পদক্ষেপগুলো নেয়া যেতে পারে:
♦ পাবলিক ট্রান্সপোর্ট সিস্টেম (Public Transport System) আধুনিক ও যুগোপযোগী করা।
♦ অনিয়ন্ত্রিত যানবাহন বৃদ্ধি ঠেকানো ও রাস্তা প্রশস্ত করা।
♦ নতুন নতুন রাস্তা তৈরি করা।
♦ অধিক ধারণক্ষমতা সম্পন্ন বাস সার্ভিস চালু করা।
♦ অধিকতর গ্রহণযোগ্য ও আরামদায়ক গণপরিবহন ব্যবস্থা চাল করে নাগরিকদের প্রাইভেট কার ব্যবহারে নিরুৎসাহিত করা।
♦ ঢাকার প্রশাসনিক বিকেন্দ্রীকরণ।
♦ ঢাকার চারপাশে বন্যা নিয়ন্ত্রণ বাঁধগুলোকে সার্কুলার রোডে উন্নীত করা।
♦ ঢাকার চতুর্দিকে জলপথ তৈরি করা।
♦ রাজধানীর দূরের পথে রেললাইন চালু করা।
♦ ঢাকায় ক্রমবর্ধমান জনসংখ্যার চাপ কমাতে ঢাকার আশপাশে স্যাটেলাইট শহর গড়ে তুলতে হবে।
♦ সরকারি - বেসরকারি অফিস, স্কুল - কলেজের সময় বিভিন্ন ধাপে করা।
♦ লেন শৃঙ্খলা করে সবিরাম ও অবিরাম যান চলাচল নিশ্চিত করা।
♦ বিশেষায়িত বাস সার্ভিস কাযকর করা।
♦ ঢাকার প্রধান সড়ক থেকে রিক্সা তুলে দেয়া।
♦ সড়কে অবৈধ পার্কিং বন্ধ এবং বহুতল পার্কিং প্লেস নির্মাণ করা।
♦ উড়াল পথ, মনোরেল, পাতাল রেল, ওভার পাস, আন্ডারপাস ও ফ্লাইওভার নির্মাণ করা।
♦ ট্রাফিক কন্ট্রোল শক্তিশালী করা।
♦ সড়কের মোড় ও বাঁক সংস্কার করে ত্রুটিমুক্ত করা।
♦ ঢাকা মহানগরীর প্রবেশ ও প্রস্থান মুখ থেকে আন্তঃজেলা বাস টার্মিনাল স্থানান্তর ও নতুুন টার্মিনাল নির্মাণ করা।
সর্বোপরি সকল পদক্ষেপের বাস্তবায়ন করা। আর এসব পদক্ষেপ সফলভাবে কার্যকর করার মধ্য দিয়েই সম্ভব যানজটমুক্ত পরিকল্পিত এক পরিচ্ছন্ন ও গতিশীল মহানগরী।

The Bangladesh that we wish to live in [বাংলাদেশকে নিয়ে আমার স্বপ্ন]

♦ Utopia is a name for an ideal community or society describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean, possessing a seemingly perfect socio-politicio-legal system. It is a perfect version of republic where in the beauties of society reign (eg. equality and general pacifist attitude), although its citizens are all ready to fight fight if needed. The evils of society eg. poverty and misery, are all removed. It has few laws, no lawyers and rarely sends its citizens to war. But hires mercenaries from among its war prone neighbors (these mercenaries were deliberately sent into dangerous situations in the hope that the more war like populations of all surrounding countries will be weeded out, leaving peaceful people). The society encourages tolerance of all religions. It create political utopias that are ones in which the government establishes a society that is striving toward perfection.

We want to see Bangladesh as an Utopian country where
♦ No more children will be born into poverty.
♦ Poverty will not passed on to the next generation.
♦ Child poverty related diseases and deaths will decrease.
♦ All children will have good quality food and shelter.
♦ All children will have access to quality information and education.
♦ Juvenile crime rate will decline.
♦ Disabled or mentally retarded children will be able to afford assistance. Families will be better able to deal with unexpected sickness, accidents or calamities.
♦ Poverty will become non existent, making the whole world richer.
♦ Crime rates will fall throughout the world.
♦ The country will become disease and poverty free.
♦ People would live longer lives.
♦ The population would be automatically controlled as birth rate reduced.
♦ The world ecosystem will return to balance.
♦ Animal and plant species would be preserved.
♦ Global disasters like earthquakes, floods, typhoons and tsunamis will become less common.

Though Bangladesh was liberated in 1971, its still far behind than most of the others countries in the world. It was supposed to be a welfare state that an ideal model of provision, where the state accepts responsibility for the provision of comprehensive and universal welfare for its citizens within 45 years.
We hope Bangladesh as an welfare country free from poverty and inequality.

Banking has turned into a challenging career for a job seeker [ব্যাংকে ক্যারিয়ার]

People are not same in their quality and competence. They also are not indifferent to all the careers in society. Because all the careers are not equally suitable. In the age of modern science and technology our economy also grows fast day by day. By this time banking has become a demandful and challenging job or career. Because in the age of globalization our economy is expanding. Business and trade are also expanding.

♦ So as a career banking has turned into a challenging career for a job seeker. As a career it has both advantages and disadvantages. Bankers work in the bank from dawn to dusk. Although there is a time schedule of their duties, they are to do some extra work out of their work.

♦ As a banker deal with financial affair he is supposed to be more punctual and disciplined. He mainly looks after other's deposited money and deals with a lots of people.

♦ So any kind of irresponsibility of a banker may result into great chaos and crisis in the bank. Thus, business, discipline, sincerity and punctuality are inevitable virtues of a banker. Although bankers belong to middle class in the society they have honour and simplicity in life. They never suffer from greed. However banker lives on limited salary and the scope of affluence in their life is very limited.

♦ Accountability, punctuality are the precondition of banking career. Now a days public and private universities are providing a large number of graduate candidate who are choosing banking profession as a challenging career. To deal with banking career every candidate has to prepare himself/herself properly so that his/her managerial skills attract clients. Time to time, in this career a person has to take different kinds of managerial training. Then every person will face the challenges of banking career easily.

How can corruption be eliminated in Bangladesh [দুর্নীতি দূরীকরনের উপায়]

♦ Corruption is restraining every movements of the nation toward development. Particularly it is dwindling the growth rate, foreign direct investment, leading to capital outflow, misappropriation of development funds, shortage of government resources etc. Thus how to fight or at least control corruption to keep it within limit has perplexed both people and government. Even lots of ideas are all around to combat corruption but nothing is working well.

♦ The term corruption is a elusive and complex phenomenon. Its definition are legion. Even the means and forms of corruption are also legion. In general, corruption refers to perversion or destruction of integrity in the discharge of once duties by any unfair means. In other words, corruption means deviation from established rules and practices legal, moral social or customary.

However, the corrupt practices may be categorized into two:
♦ A decision depart from government established criteria for decisions of the relevant class.
♦ A monetary reward benefiting either the official directly or those related to him.

♦ Within these categories, major examples of corruption are bribery, misappropriation of public resources, kickback and commissions, nepotism, favoritism, gift giving, cheating, fraud, dishonesty, embezzlement, intellectual corruption, and corruption of the soul.

 To pull out the root of corruption from our society, following measures must be considered:
♦ To create a moral ground against corruption, government, non-government and civilian organizations have to launch anti-corruption campaigns.
♦ Head of the government should enunciate clearly to all ministers, parliament members, local leaders that no compromise will be made in case of corruption.
♦ All local and national newspaper should be committed to inform the people about the magnitude and depth of corruption of the central and local leaders, government official, godfathers and others.
♦ The police and anti-corruption bureau should be reorganized.
♦ An independent anti-corruption commission should be given enough power to file and proceed corruption cases.
♦ Special attention should be given to train special units in case formulation, legal and judicial issues to avoid any loop holes in criminal prosecution.

After all, corruption must be seen as a destructive way to economic progress and development. We must identify the corrupt persons as corrupt not as party workers. Because, they are the enemy of the nation.

The role of commercial banks in the development of rural Bangladesh [গ্রামীন উন্নয়নে ব্যাংকের ভূমিকা]

Although, our economy is mainly agricultural, banks play an important role in the development of our rural areas. The rural branches of banks provide various services to farmers, rural farmers, businessman and disadvantaged groups and help them to develop themselves thereby.

♦ Our banking sector consist of three kinds of banks. Such as state owned commercial banks, private commercial banks, and foreign private commercial banks. Among them nationalized commercial banks and some other private banks and more particularly some specialized banks are in operative rural areas. The foreign private banks are not interested to open their branches in rural areas.

♦ The role of bank in rural development is manifold. Banks are functional in the process of savings, capital formation, investment, production, in the rural economy.
♦ Banks motivate the people for savings through various programs and collect the dispersed savings of the people. Further, banks invests it in rural economy.

♦ Banks provide the rural small businessmen with loans from deposited money which plays a crucial role in the rural development. Specially, the micro-credit programs of different banks made the rural landless people bankable and provided them with required capital for businesses and other economic activities.

♦ Banks play a crucial role in rural capital formation. Banks collect the dispersed savings of the rural people through different deposit schemes. Then distribute loans to them for starting a productive as well as any other self sufficient economic activity.

♦ Commercial and specialized banks, specially state owned commercial banks distribute agricultural loans to rural people which make them able to invest in their firms and lands. As most of our farmers are poor they can not invest enough to increase the production. So bank loans help them to increase their production through proper irrigation, fertilization and so on.

♦ Banks play a crucial role in sustaining and developing our small and cottage industries. Because, most of our small and cottage industries are being closed due to lack of enough capital.

♦ Banks can provide our unemployed youths with training and loan to start business or to invest in a farm. Such training and income generating projects can make our youths self reliant, lessen the intricate problem of unemployment and improve the standard of living in our rural areas.

♦ Bank plays a crucial role in mentioning the disadvantaged groups in community under some special programs. Even through making the disadvantaged people economically self sufficient, banks play important role to empower them and lessen the social inequality thereby.

♦ Inspite of such prospects as discussed above, banks in our country are not effective enough in rural development. A number of causes are responsible for such failure among whom some notable causes are as under:

♦ There are some problems in bank management which disrupt  the very process of loan distribution as well as the collection. Hence, loans specially government loans are not being distributed through proper channel and manner.

♦ Our people are not oriented to savings and investment. They lacks motivation for savings and investment.
♦ The people can not utilize the distributed money or loan properly. Even banks also are not undertaking training programs to make them able to utilize the loan properly.

♦ People have to face serious complexities to get loans. Besides, people who get loans do not return in time.

♦ Inspite of some limitation, role of banks in rural development in our country is praiseworthy. Specially, the micro-credit program, primarily introduced by Grameen Bank, has become widespread and played a crucial role in the well being of rural poor. However, our government, private bank authorities should undertake more comprehensive programs for rural development.

Drug Addiction Problem Among the Youth of Bangladesh

♦ Persons have used drugs for as long as they have tried to ease pain and get rid of problems. Since the early 1960s, however, drugs have been in very widespread use. Before that time they were rare. A worldwide spread of drugs occurred during that era, and a large number of people became drug-takers.
♦ Drugs are supposed to do wonderful things but all they really do is to ruin the person. Drug problem do not end when a person stops taking drugs. The accumulated effects of drug-taking can leave one severely impaired, both physically and mentally.
♦ Yet though dangers and liabilities of drugs are blatantly obvious and increasingly well documented, people continue to take them.
♦ The main reason of drugs comes from depression. When a person is depressed or in pain and where he finds no physical relief from treatment, he will eventually discover for himself that drugs remove his symptoms.
♦ Unemployment rate of young educated people is increasing day by day. This is creating mental pressure on an unemployed person. Eventually this creates mental pains which are 'psychosomatic' which means the mind making the body ill or illnesses caused through the mind. 'Psycho' refers to mind and 'soma' refers to body.
♦ In almost all cases of psychosomatic pain, illness, or discomfort the person has sought some cure for the upset. When he at last finds that only drugs give him relief. He will surrender to them and become dependent upon them offen to the point of addiction. In an unsettled and insecure environment, psychosomatic illness is very widespread.

♦ So before any government strikes too heavily at spreading drug use, it should recognize that it is a symptom of failed psychotherapy. The social scientist, the psychiatrist and psychologist and health ministers have failed to handle spreading psychosomatic illness.
♦ It is too easy to blame the drug problem on "social unrest" or the "peace of modern society".
♦ The hard, solid fact is that until now there has been no effective psychotherapy in broad practice. The result is a drug-dependent population. Drug users have been found to have begun taking drugs because of physical suffering or hopelessness.
♦ The user, driven by pain and environmental hopelessness, continue to take drugs. Though he does not want to be an addict, he does not feel that there is any other way out.

♦ However, with proper treatment, drug dependency can be fully handled.
As soon as he can feel healthier and more competent mentally and physically without drugs than he does on drugs, a person ceases to require drugs.
♦ Government agencies have failed markedly to halt the increase in drug taking and there has been no real or widespread cure.
♦ To check this problem, government vigilance on drug activity must be increased. Government agency should use electronic and print media to increase awareness among the people. Parents are the closest relatives of any people. So parents must monitor their children's activity and must give lesson about effect of drug addiction. Up to date information of drug addiction should be included in the text book of schools and colleges.
♦ Accountability of the government officials engaged in narcotic control department must be ensured.

Traffic Congestion in Dhaka City: Causes and Measures

Dhaka is the mega city of the world with more than 20 million population. The popular density in the city is highest in the world. The sewerage system, transportation, housing, traffic management etc. in the city are problematic. Thus the city dwellers are facing a lot of problems in their everyday life. Among many other problems, traffic congestion is acute one which result into waste of time and money. The reasons responsible for traffic congestion include absence of mass bus transit system, abundance of slow moving rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, lack of sufficient road space, inefficient traffic management and lack of required traffic rules and even improper implementation of traffic rules.

Traffic congestion in the Dhaka City is the result of a lot of factors. Such as:
♦ Absence of mass bus transit system: Mass bus transit system is the most efficient mode of transportation in major cities of the world. The road space occupied per passenger in bus is by far lower than than that in rickshaw and auto-rickshaw. Consequently, bus can carry a large number of passengers occupying smaller road space that ensures free flow of traffic.

♦ Abundance of Rickshaws: The city presently has been swept by 10 lac rickshaws growing at the rate of 20% each year. Rickshaws carry 48% of the total passenger trips occupying 73% of the road space. As it is slow moving vehicle plying on the same track with other motorized and non-motorized vehicles, the overall traffic flow slows down. A rickshaw carrying only one or two passengers occupies a much larger road space in comparison to a bus per passenger. As this is driven manuals, it is slow and it can not be directed quickly towards the required direction.

♦ Lack of sufficient road space: A large city should have road space at least 20% of the total city space. But in Dhaka City road space is estimated to be only 3% of the total city space. In comparison to other larger cities of the world the city size per million of population in Dhaka is much less. Such concentration of residents leads to the concentration of vehicles that contributes to the congestion.

♦ Phenomenal growth of high rises: The development of transportation and related infrastructure has failed to keep space with the increasing population. The phenomenal growths of high rises in the 90's makes the scenario more complex. A number of high rises have grown in alongside a single road link stretching almost the length of the city in the north-south direction.

♦ Problem with the traffic laws and management: The traffic laws available in our country are not enough for efficient traffic management. More particularly, the punishment for violation of traffic laws is not effective. Moreover the police forces, engaged in the traffic management of the city are not efficient and sincere in the performing their duties.

♦ Insufficient car parking place: Many high-rise buildings are built without planning. So various markets are built centering such buildings. People come to buy necessary things in such market but they are not given any place for parking. So the general public remain their vehicle have and there.

♦ Realising footpath: It is common scenario that footpath are summed to us a marketing place of hawker in some case " the common proverb reminds us its excellency" might is right' and law enforcers keep their role of gam makers of law breakers. So their strict action is needed to handled such situation. Otherwise footpath will turn into market place.

Suggested measures: For getting rid of traffic congestion problem, both the government and private sector should come forward with innovative programs and initiatives.

♦ Model shift of vehicles: Road space occupied by per passenger of buses is much less than that of other. So to optimize the use of the costly road space of such a congested city, the low capacity rickshaws and auto-rickshaws are to be replaced with high capacity buses. If the number of buses increases and the number rickshaws and auto-rickshaws decreases, the total number of vehicles in city streets will decrease significantly as each bus can carry a large number of passengers. So the traffic congestion must decrease as a result of such model shift.

♦ Increase of road space: As increase of road space involves relocation of a large number of costly installation, that is very difficult and costly. However, there are some areas in the city where road spaces can be increased concerned authority.

♦ Improving the traffic management system: Prompt initiatives should be taken for improving the traffic management system of the city. In this direction, installation of sophisticated traffic signals and traffic directing instruments can improve the the system slightly.

♦ Lane marking and lane discipline enforcement: The existing road space of Dhaka City is not large enough to be divided into discrete lanes of different kind of vehicles, especially when non motorized transport like rickshaw and pullcars continue to remain on the road in large number.

♦ Reformation of traffic laws: The existing traffic laws of the country should be reformed. Provision should be made to ensure the punishment for violation of traffic rules and regulations.

♦ Compulsion of keeping parking place:  All center city buildings i.e. plaza, hospital, resident building should follow the code of parking system. If anyone don't follow, will fined examplarily  to compel to follow this code.

After above discussion, it is clear that problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka City could not be solved  totally overnight. Rather it needs long term initiatives. However, the initiatives taken so far are praiseworthy which include construction of fly-overs at different points of the city, formation of different transport companies under which a large number of luxurious buses, taxi and CNG auto-rickshaws are plying in the city.