SMUGGLING (OR) A NATIONAL EVIL

Smuggling is one of the biggest evils of modern times. It means to carry things illegally into or out of a country, or through customs without paying the duty. Sometimes in one country a thing is cheaper than it is in another country. Usually, there are restrictions on the transfer of such things but the smugglers take the risk and continue their business. They carry cheap things to a country where they are sold at high prices. The favourite articles of a smuggler are gold, silver, opium, charas, radios, transistors, watches, fountain pens, tape-recorders and costly cloth of superior quality. In spite of various attempts to remove smuggling, the business goes on.

Causes of the prevalence of smuggling are four. First, the desire to become rich overnight works at the root of smuggling. This is an age of competition and a man is judged by his wealth. So, everybody wishes to be richer than the other. Legal business yields money but slowly. Smuggling is risky but it brings th money in no time. Second, there is a great difference between the price of a thing in one country and its price in the other. Prices of gold, silver and opium especially vary at different places. Smuggling promises large amounts of profits. Third, the smugglers are a well-organised group. They have inexhaustible funds of money, cars, jeeps, steamers and ammunition at their disposal. There is a lack of proper arrangements to check this evil. Land and sea Custom Departments are poor in resources. Lastly, the corrupt officers accept bribes and let the smugglers escape. In case of any complication or danger, they resign and start living independently. As a result the smugglers thrive.

Smugglers are the greatest and most dangerous enemies of a country. The harms of smuggling are countless. This causes a great loss to the national resources, national wealth untry flows to the other. Smuggling of gold and the national economy. The wealth of one country decreases the gold reserves in a country. This bad practice of smuggling also creates many evils. The smugglers offer large bribes to the custom officers and to police officers. Some are tempted and help the smugglers by ignoring them. The prices of the things smuggled to other countries, rise up. A smuggler is the worst sort of man because he does not spare even his

country. Smuggling is the worst practice because it does harm to the country. To stop smuggling, the smugglers should be given exemplary punishments. The staff custom and police on the borders should be very active, dutiful, loyal and honest. The people living near borders should co-operate with the Government. We should avoid buying of smuggled things on a low rate. We should at once inform the Government if we learn that such and such person is taking part in smuggling. Ours is a developing country. To make our progress rapid, we should uproot smuggling from the country.