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A few weeks ago, while briefing the media after the weekly cabinet meeting the cabinet secretary said that the cabinet division had asked the road and bridges ministry to examine if a separate lane can be earmarked on the city roads for the movement of the very important persons (VIPs).
The plea is that a separate lane is necessary for speedy movement of the VIPs, and also for ambulances carrying critical patients. It may be mentioned that the VIPs' vehicles are already using special horns to announce their presence so that the ordinary people can make way for them. Sometimes, the VIP cars also use wrong side of the road.
The proposal for a separate lane for VIPs has been given a human touch by adding the examples of ambulances carrying critical patients. But who cares of these patients when the road is kept totally blocked for the movement of Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs)?
In the capital, the road-vehicle ratio is very poor and the situation has been worsening day by day for ever-increasing transports. Of course, the government is taking various steps like construction of flyovers and metro railways.
Certain other steps are also necessary, like banning the plying of rickshaws on busy and important routes through which most of the transports move during the pick hours. Traffic jam has become a permanent feature and the commuters have to bear the brunt. The authorities should think more and more to ease the situation and innovative ideas are to be worked out.
VIP is a colonial legacy. A few years back, a news media reported that when the then prime minister of the UK Tony Blair's car was caught in a traffic jam, he got off the car, walked a few steps and availed another transport. The British prime minister lives in a modest house at the 10 Downing Street in downtown London. But during the colonial rule a house consisting of 360 rooms and lawns and gardens covering thousands of acres of land was built for the Viceroy of the British colony of India. The British officials came to serve British India as the crown's representatives. Obviously they had anti-people psyche. They had secured accommodations and restricted movement for their personal safety and security. They always kept them aloof from the people.
In Bangladesh, the government officials from and above the rank of the joint security are treated as VIPs (very important persons). A joint secretary definitely holds a very important position in the concerned departmental hierarchy. He is to be responsible in disposing his assigned job. But for this he has not to rush like a fire service guy.
The British left the subcontinent seven decades ago. We achieved independence through the liberation war, which was a people's war. According to our constitution, people are supreme. So the concept of VIP should be done away with.
The politicians raise cacophony against the colonial past when they speak publicly but the colonial protocol has been still in vogue. This is the contradiction in our politics. Because of such attitude, the government officials love to be the 'sirs' of the people.
Definitely, we are concerned over the security of our national leaders. People will rather appreciate if some more secured and convenient systems like helicopter services can be used for their movement.