



Population of Bangladesh stands at more than 162 million at present. The country is already bursting at the seams. There is a news item in The Daily Star that there will be crisis of the basic tools for population control like condoms, oral pills (OCP), injectable contraceptives etc. in the very near future. It is alarming news, and warrants immediate intervention by the government and the donor agencies.

Any programme of the government is bound to fail if population keeps on growing even at present rate. Bangladesh can not afford to feed, house, clothe, provide quality education and medical services, etc. to such a huge population. We are already experiencing earthquakes, climate changes, less rainfall, deforestations, desertification, diminished agricultural land, power crisis, traffic jams, malnourished workforce, unemployment, rise in crimes and drug addiction, and 'what not' due to our huge population. Optimum population of Bangladesh is 100 millions.

We wonder, how many millions of people our country can contain. Probably we require a two storied country!

Many donor agencies have reportedly complained that many of our family planning high officials are more interested in foreign travels and its resultant benefits than 'capacity building' of their staffs. They are more interested in 'Nafal' than in 'Farz'! World Bank, ADB, USAID, DFID etc all simply laugh in disdain at such selfish, unpatriotic, unscrupulous behaviours of many officials.

Other than condoms, OCP etc. more people should be encouraged to undergo tubal ligation and vasectomy. There ought to be reward for undertaking permanent family planning methods like preferences in jobs, posting, transfers, school admission, house allotment, fuel, seed and fertilizer allotments etc. The government may also observe 'a no baby year'. More rigid and effective methods are ought to be devised and implemented.

We urge upon the government to give topmost priority to population control issues and act for control and ultimate decrease of population. Else, we will be very soon an abandoned, failed and doomed country.