Highway extortion all the way

Rampant extortion on the country’s highways and roads is a major reason for the prevailing anarchy and culture of impunity in the road transport sector, experts and insiders of the sector believe. 
They allege that thousands of crores of taka are being extorted from this sector every year, which is distributed among people in the power structure, from top to bottom.
This is why, they say, the authorities remain reluctant to take actions against extortion which is plaguing the entire public transport sector. 
Shipping minister Shajahan Khan, also executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation, recently talking to New Age admitted that it would be difficult to stop extortion in the transport sector. 
He did not, however, explain why. 
Transport workers and owners have blamed highway police for extorting money from all types of motor, non-motorised and illegal vehicles. They also blame workers and owners’ associations for charging of excessive ‘token money’. 
State minister for rural development and co-operatives Md Mashiur Rahman Ranga, also Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association president, told New Age on Wednesday that some police personnel had already been transferred or the police administration took action against some officials after video clips of their involvement in extortion went viral on social media and came in news media. 
Section 38 (3) of Road Transport Act, 2018, enacted on September 20, says that except terminal charge no money can be collected from any transports during entering or leaving the terminal, or during running on roads, highways or any other public places. 
If any truck or covered or pick-up van comes to Dhaka from Narayanganj, the driver has to pay up to Tk 3,000 at police checkpoints near Matuail, at Jatrabari, Kamalapur TT Para, VIP road, Shantinagar, Rampura and Badda, says a senior leader of Narayanganj District Truck, Tank, Lorry and Covered Van Workers’ Union. 
Even if police find the vehicle documents ok, they will take at least Tk 200 to Tk 400 at these points, he adds. 
‘Workers’ federation charges each vehicle Tk 50 as terminal fee at Paturia and Doulatdia ferry terminals,’ said Hasibuzzaman, a Dhaka city resident, asking, ‘Why have I to give this money if I don’t use the terminal?’
Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh secretary general Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury believes that the amount of extortion from road transport sector in a day will exceed Tk 200 crore.
He says that in Dhaka city about Tk 600 is being extorted from a single CNG-run auto-rickshaw, which is up to Tk 120 in the districts. 
The Dhaka city service bus drivers have to give Tk 800 to Tk 1,800 which is Tk 1,200 for the air conditioned buses while battery-run rickshaws drivers have to pay Tk 200 and rickshaw pullers pay up to Tk 120 daily. 
In cases of long-route buses like those on Dhaka-Chattogram route, drivers have to pay up to Tk 800 at different points, he claims. 
Mozammel alleges that transport workers usually extort money from goods-laden vehicles and transport owners’ association extort money from passenger vehicles all over the country and this money is being distributed among different authorities.
In July this year at a general meeting of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association, many owners alleged that highway police and Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation collected illegal tolls from them on highways and roads every day. 
While contacted after the meeting, the association president, Md Mashiur Rahman Ranga, claimed he directed the owners to bring up specific complaints. 
‘Till now we did not get any such complaints,’ he told New Age on October 17 and added, ‘None can collect token money on roads. It is a law now.’
Shipping minister Shajahan Khan on October 7 told New Age that they had already discussed with transport owners’ leaders over not collecting monthly fee from drivers on roads and ensuring presence of representatives from the administration and the transport associations to monitor the situation on roads.
If the current system of fragmented ownership and route permit is brought under company-based system through route franchise, the drivers will become disciplined and there would be no scope for extortion, observes National Road Safety Council member and BUET professor Shamsul Hoque. 
‘It’s a no-cost solution,’ he notes, adding, ‘Everything is ready. What we need is only policy support.’ 
Safe Roads and Transport Alliance convener Hossain Zillur Rahman, ‘A vicious circle is created through extortion. An environment thus prevails in which people do not fell morally obliged to go by law.’ 
Ganasanghati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki alleges that the government fails to take action against extortion as this huge amount of extorted money is deeply connected with the power structure. 
Highway police deputy inspector general Md Atiqul Islam claims that they have so far got only a few complaints against highway extortion by police.
‘In many cases we have found that the workers take money from owners putting the blame us and keep the money in their own pockets,’ he says. 
He claims that associations of transport owners and workers are very powerful and it is quite impossible to harass them. 
If any such allegation is proved, they take stern action against the accused cops, he says.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net