After taking over the Rajshahi Road Transport Group office immediately after the fall of the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hanisa on August 5, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed transport leaders have begun collecting extortions from every vehicle plying roads in the district.
鈥業t is true that we are taking fees. But after taking charge of the office, I have reduced the fees than what was taken during the time of the Awami League,鈥� said Nazrul Islam Helal, who announced himself as the general secretary of Rajshahi Road Transport Group after the fall of the Awami League government on August 05 amid a student-led mass uprising.
He came up with the acknowledgement while answering to a question from a journalist at a press conference arranged in the road transport group building on Friday morning, protesting at Wednesday鈥檚 attack on them in front of Rajshahi deputy commissioner office.
Helal, also a former member of the Rajshahi city BNP, said that they had reduced fees for Dhaka-route coaches to Tk 100 from Tk 350, and for Natore-route buses to Tk 120 from Tk 400.
According to the road transport group members, about 750 buses, including 230 Dhaka-coaches, leave Rajshahi every day.
From each of the buses, Tk 350 to 400 are collected every day in the name of the road transport group, motor workers union, and different other organisations at various points in the Rajshahi city.
Besides, Tk 400-500 is also collected from each of the trucks entering the district while Tk 250 to 300 was collected from each of the CNG-run three-wheelers and legunas, they added.聽
