Special Correspondent :
After a collapse for long 23 hours, the goods-laden trucks, covered van, lorries and bus from country’s 16 northern districts started rolling towards capital on Friday evening following an understanding between the transport leaders, police and civil administration.
Earlier, no goods carrying vehicle came to Dhaka from the northern region since Thursday evening due to non-stop strike called by ‘truck, tank lorry, covered van and pickup owner-workers association’ demanding realization of their seven-point demands, including stop of extortion by the policemen.
When contacted, leader of ‘Movement Committee’ and President of Bogra Truck Workers Association Abdul Mannan Akhand told The New Nation over phone: “We’ve withdrawn the strike at 5:30pm following a meeting with the police and civil administrations. In the meeting, four of our demands were achieved, the rest three will be materialised soon.”
“The administration promised us that, there will be no extortion by police in the future, which was our number one demand. The police men will be barred from extorting the drivers on the highways. The police also will not file cases for fitness, bumper, angle and other reasons,” he said.
Our Bogra Correspondent said that the meeting was held in Rajshahi where Deputy Inspector General of Police [Rajshahi Range], Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, concerned official of DGFI [Directorate General of Forces Intelligence], President of Andolon Bastobayon Committee and President of Bogra Truck Owners Association Abdul Mannan Akhand were present.
Reports coming from different northern cities said that hundreds of goods-laden vehicles, including the trucks, pickups and covered vans
carrying perishable goods, were forced to stand idle on the roadside resulting in counting huge demurrage.
Agitated picketers equipped with bamboo sticks and iron rods were patrolling the streets at different entry and exit points of northern cities to check the plying of vehicles till the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon. A limited number of truck and covered vans were seen plying under police protection in a bid to keep continuing the goods supply chain.
Leaders of the association alleged that, the police have been extorting money from the truck drivers on the highways for a long time, even if the driving licenses and registration documents were found okay. The policemen file false cases and harass the drivers and owners, if the money is not given as per their demand, the leaders alleged.
As an impact of strike, the businesses faced debacle while the general people have also suffered from shortage of different essential goods, particularly the winter vegetables.
There is widespread allegation that extortion in the transport sector has taken an alarming turn despite several measures taken by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Not only on the busy Roads and Highways, the extortionists are very much active in the terminals and ferry ghats too.
Extortion from vehicles is rampant at more than 200 points in the highways. The police also take extra money at Jamuna Bridge and Darogar Haat in Chittagong in the name of scaling goods.
When asked, Home Minister Asaduzzamn Khan Kamal told The New Nation yesterday: “The transport strike has been called apparently without any reason. We’ve earlier materialized their demands. The transport leaders had held a meeting with top administrative officials, including Ministers. I was present in one of the meetings. So, there was no reason of strike.”
About extortion by policemen, the Home Boss said: “I’m ruling out the possibility of extortion by the police. But it doesn’t mean that they [transport leaders] would call such big strike. I think it’s not logical.”
Sources said the drivers have to pay policemen around Tk 2,000 in extortion money in a single trip to the capital, which was about Tk 1,500 just a few weeks ago. If the extortion money is not paid, the policemen often seize driver’s licence and registration documents or file cases on false charges.
Mainly, the vehicles without route permit and other necessary documents have become main target of extortion and bribery of the police. Several drivers have alleged that the police collect money from cargo laden trucks at different points on the highways, particularly at Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge at Sirajganj, often develop traffic congestion.
A truck driver Salimuddin Ahmed said on Friday: “Apart from political extortionists, we are now paying on average Tk 3,000 to the police for each truck, which is an increase of Tk 1,000.” The extortionists play different style for extorting money. The traffic sergeants collect toll as daily, weekly and monthly basis. Some transport organizations extort money under the banner of workers’ welfare and in the name of unemployment fee, road-clear fee, parking fee, ghat and terminal serial, etcetera.
The issue of extortion earlier had also instigated conflict between the transport owners and police for several times while different groups had called strike in the past. But the truck drivers and owners are yet to get respite from the extortion.
Apart from police, a section of leaders and activists of ruling Awami League and its associate organizations are allegedly involved in extortion in the transport sector. The situation had reached to such an extent that several law enforcement and intelligence agencies submitted reports to the government high-ups conducting investigation.
In the reports, they categorically blamed a section of ruling party men, especially Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League, for running extortion business. Against this backdrop, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal issued warning saying that the government will compel to take stern action against the “listed extortionists”, if they do not leave the path immediately.
After a collapse for long 23 hours, the goods-laden trucks, covered van, lorries and bus from country’s 16 northern districts started rolling towards capital on Friday evening following an understanding between the transport leaders, police and civil administration.
Earlier, no goods carrying vehicle came to Dhaka from the northern region since Thursday evening due to non-stop strike called by ‘truck, tank lorry, covered van and pickup owner-workers association’ demanding realization of their seven-point demands, including stop of extortion by the policemen.
When contacted, leader of ‘Movement Committee’ and President of Bogra Truck Workers Association Abdul Mannan Akhand told The New Nation over phone: “We’ve withdrawn the strike at 5:30pm following a meeting with the police and civil administrations. In the meeting, four of our demands were achieved, the rest three will be materialised soon.”
“The administration promised us that, there will be no extortion by police in the future, which was our number one demand. The police men will be barred from extorting the drivers on the highways. The police also will not file cases for fitness, bumper, angle and other reasons,” he said.
Our Bogra Correspondent said that the meeting was held in Rajshahi where Deputy Inspector General of Police [Rajshahi Range], Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, concerned official of DGFI [Directorate General of Forces Intelligence], President of Andolon Bastobayon Committee and President of Bogra Truck Owners Association Abdul Mannan Akhand were present.
Reports coming from different northern cities said that hundreds of goods-laden vehicles, including the trucks, pickups and covered vans
carrying perishable goods, were forced to stand idle on the roadside resulting in counting huge demurrage.
Agitated picketers equipped with bamboo sticks and iron rods were patrolling the streets at different entry and exit points of northern cities to check the plying of vehicles till the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon. A limited number of truck and covered vans were seen plying under police protection in a bid to keep continuing the goods supply chain.
Leaders of the association alleged that, the police have been extorting money from the truck drivers on the highways for a long time, even if the driving licenses and registration documents were found okay. The policemen file false cases and harass the drivers and owners, if the money is not given as per their demand, the leaders alleged.
As an impact of strike, the businesses faced debacle while the general people have also suffered from shortage of different essential goods, particularly the winter vegetables.
There is widespread allegation that extortion in the transport sector has taken an alarming turn despite several measures taken by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Not only on the busy Roads and Highways, the extortionists are very much active in the terminals and ferry ghats too.
Extortion from vehicles is rampant at more than 200 points in the highways. The police also take extra money at Jamuna Bridge and Darogar Haat in Chittagong in the name of scaling goods.
When asked, Home Minister Asaduzzamn Khan Kamal told The New Nation yesterday: “The transport strike has been called apparently without any reason. We’ve earlier materialized their demands. The transport leaders had held a meeting with top administrative officials, including Ministers. I was present in one of the meetings. So, there was no reason of strike.”
About extortion by policemen, the Home Boss said: “I’m ruling out the possibility of extortion by the police. But it doesn’t mean that they [transport leaders] would call such big strike. I think it’s not logical.”
Sources said the drivers have to pay policemen around Tk 2,000 in extortion money in a single trip to the capital, which was about Tk 1,500 just a few weeks ago. If the extortion money is not paid, the policemen often seize driver’s licence and registration documents or file cases on false charges.
Mainly, the vehicles without route permit and other necessary documents have become main target of extortion and bribery of the police. Several drivers have alleged that the police collect money from cargo laden trucks at different points on the highways, particularly at Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge at Sirajganj, often develop traffic congestion.
A truck driver Salimuddin Ahmed said on Friday: “Apart from political extortionists, we are now paying on average Tk 3,000 to the police for each truck, which is an increase of Tk 1,000.” The extortionists play different style for extorting money. The traffic sergeants collect toll as daily, weekly and monthly basis. Some transport organizations extort money under the banner of workers’ welfare and in the name of unemployment fee, road-clear fee, parking fee, ghat and terminal serial, etcetera.
The issue of extortion earlier had also instigated conflict between the transport owners and police for several times while different groups had called strike in the past. But the truck drivers and owners are yet to get respite from the extortion.
Apart from police, a section of leaders and activists of ruling Awami League and its associate organizations are allegedly involved in extortion in the transport sector. The situation had reached to such an extent that several law enforcement and intelligence agencies submitted reports to the government high-ups conducting investigation.
In the reports, they categorically blamed a section of ruling party men, especially Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League, for running extortion business. Against this backdrop, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal issued warning saying that the government will compel to take stern action against the “listed extortionists”, if they do not leave the path immediately.
