Money making with environment protection pretext

My car was stopped the other day on Manik Miah Avenue by two policemen, under the direction of two other men sitting in chairs in front of a table. With them was some instrument. They 'tested' my car and pronounced it fit except that the car's hydrocarbon ppm. was a little 'high'. They told me that my car needed to be fitted with a catalytic converter. They handed me a piece of paper, on which there was also a phone number of the environment ministry's oversight office. If I called this number, the men further said, I would be informed where I could get my car fitted out with such a device. I was given a month's time to do so. When I called the phone number at the ministry, somebody gave me the phone number of the "Speedway" company, who then informed me that one catalytic converter for my 800 cc. Suzuki Maruti would cost me Taka 25,000.

So what does this mean? Has it been set up by the ministry for environment? Buses and trucks spew out long plumes of poisonous smoke but no mobile court is there to deal with this problem. But we have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get some catalytic converter because the ministry wants us to have it. I am sure that there are people, both in the ministry and outside, who have good terms with a company and they will be benefited by the project.

While the spirit of the law is all right, the worst part of it is that in practice the sporadic implementation of environmental laws is oppressive. A few months ago there was that hullaballoo with bumper guards, all of which came to nothing except that some people paid to have the extra guard removed and then put back to their place. I have no doubt that the same thing will happen in the case of these catalytic converters . Some money will be squeezed out from citizens and then the whole matter will be forgotten, except by the people who paid out Taka 25,000 for nothing.

Therefore I am asking the ministry concerned to let it go. The holy month of Ramadan has begun , the prices of foods in the bazaar have shot up. We are groaning under the pressure. This is not the time to ask people to pay money for fitting their cars with catalytic converters. Surely, there are better things for bureaucrats and policymakers to do.