This has been a tough year for Bangladesh.
With Eid-ul-Azha just around the corner, it is up to us as a nation to show the resilience that makes us. Now more than ever the authorities and the public must come together to ensure that the festivities are celebrated in peace and harmony.
This is especially difficult in the wake of the Tongi factory explosion which took the lives of 24 people. As the holiday approaches, and as we will pass them by, it is imperative that the authorities ensure that the kind of negligence that lead to this incident does not repeat itself.
It is also crucial that the city does not suffer as a result of the Eid-ul-Azha animal sacrifices. Though the tradition had always been to slaughter the animals on private property or even on public roads, it was laudable when the government decided to designate slaughterhouses for sacrifices, thereby ensuring that the city’s environmental integrity is preserved.
But the designated slaughterhouses remain in poor conditions, both in terms of the services they provide and an inability to meet burgeoning demands.
Dhaka South has two slaughterhouses while Dhaka North has three. This is not enough for the Eid-ul-Azha demands.
Though both mayors’ pledge to remove all waste within 48 hours of the slaughter are appreciated, more must be done to ensure that the slaughterhouses are renovated and modernised in order to meet public needs.
What was worse was that, last year, the ruling party’s leaders themselves ignored the government-mandated slaughterhouses and sacrificed their cattle on the city roads.
But the responsibility does not lie on the authorities alone. The common citizen too must understand that they have a role to play in keeping their city clean and orderly.
We hope that the authorities heed the public’s call and ensure that the Eid-ul-Azha celebrations are practiced in full splendour and joy, not ruined by waste and a filth-ridden environment.