Sagar Biswas :
Extortion in the transport sector has taken an alarming turn ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, despite measures taken by the law enforcing agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion [RAB].
At the same time, the extortionists are also very much active in shopping malls, super markets, bus, truck and launch terminals, ferry ghats, highways, footpaths, and where not!
Several businessmen have alleged that the crime syndicates are collecting millions of taka a day from posh shopping mall to footpath vendors with the help of dishonest officials of the local police stations. Shop owners have to pay large amount of tolls to extortionists, as local political leaders-backed musclemen have geared up the extortion business on the eve of Eid.
There is also widespread allegation that the latest initiative of the law enforcement agencies to check extortion went in vain as some influential leaders of the ruling party extended their support in favour of extortionists. As a result, extortion from vehicles is rampant at more than 100 points in the city.
The crime syndicate comprising some identified transport leaders, professional criminals and dishonest police personnel extorting millions of taka every day from different vehicles, especially bus, mini-bus, truck and three-wheeler tempo of different routes.
The extortionists play different style for extorting money. The hardcore criminals take money directly while the Traffic Sergeants collect toll as monthly basis. Some transport organizations take money under the banner of workers’ welfare. Some do the same business in the name of unemployment fee, road-clear fee, ghat and terminal serial, parking fee, etcetera.
The burning issue of extortion has also created severe conflict between the transport owners and the workers organizations while several transport groups have already called strike in the recent days. But the drivers and owners are yet to get respite from the extortion.
Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police [DMP] Asaduzzaman Mia on Thursday in a meeting on law enforcement and traffic management at Gabtoli terminal issued order to shoot at sight if necessary to stop extortionists and snatchers.
Earlier, he also claimed that stringent measures would be taken to resist extortion. “We’ve deployed the law enforcers in plain clothes marking 100 spots as extortion points in the city. Besides, instruction has also been given to take action analyzing CCTV footage,” he said.
The DMP Commissioner had also admitted about the allegations of extortion raised against some dishonest police officials, saying that departmental action would be taken in this regard.
It is learnt that the drivers are still paying toll at Mohakhali, Gabtoli and Sayedabad bus and truck terminals for each entry and exit. Around 2000 buses and coaches run regularly from Syedabad terminal through 47 routes of east, north and southwestern districts.
Of them, about 1200 coaches run through 32 routes, including Chittagong, Sylhet, Noakhali, Comilla, Chandpur, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal and Faridpur. Besides, several hundred buses and coaches are plied from Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Uttara, Gazipur, Tongi, Kaliganj, Sreepur, Kapasia and other district towns.
Not only in the city, extortion on the highways and ferry terminals have also become rampant in spite of the police and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation officials’ presence. Particularly, the illegal toll collection is unbridled at Paturia, Daulatdia, Mawa and Kaorakandi ferry terminals in nowadays.
Sources said a section of dishonest members of highway police in connivance with criminals are extorting money from drivers of trucks and container carriers on the highways ahead of Eid, contributing to the price spiral of some essentials.
The drivers have to pay policemen and criminals around Tk 2,000 in extortion money in a single trip to the capital, which was about Tk 1,500 just few weeks ago. If the extortion money is not paid, the policemen often seize driver’s licence and registration documents or file cases against drivers on false charges. And the vehicles without route permit and other necessary documents are became main target of extortion and bribery.
Many drivers alleged that the illegal toll collection from cargo laden trucks at different points on the highways, particularly at Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge at Sirajganj, often develop traffic congestion resulting in untold sufferings to the passengers.
“We are now paying on average Tk 2,000 to police and extortionists for each truck, an increase of Tk 500,” said truck driver Kafil Uddin Mia on Thursday, adding that a section of police personnel was also involved in toll collection.
A recent report of parliamentary sub-committee said that the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation headed by Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan alone used to collect at least Tk 51 crore every year from across the country in the name of ‘fund raising for workers welfare’.
“We’ve already taken steps to check extortion. Seventeen teams of law enforcers have started work in plain clothes to oversee the extortion situation. About 14 mobile courts will also start work in Dhaka and its adjacent areas.
Besides, there will be 16 more teams of BRTA [Bangladesh Road Transport Authority] for the same,” Monirul Islam, Additional Commissioner of DMP, said.
