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The extortions in the country’s transport sector have got almost back in full swing from the first week of September as police, transport company owners and political leaders allegedly started taking tolls in Dhaka as elsewhere across the country.

After the fall of Awami League regime on August 5, although the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took control over Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association instead of AL on August 14 through forming a convening committee, police started taking tolls in the first week of September, according to industry insiders, including transport owners.

After the fall of AL regime, BNP youth wing Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leaders and activists were reportedly collecting from owners and even those running businesses AC and Non-AC buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, they said.  

BNP Senior Joint General Secretary Ruhur Kabir Rizvi said that they had received several allegations of the party leaders and activists and  took action against them.

‘We are now in a strict position about extortion and grabbing. We will not spare any party members involved in such activities,’ Rizvy told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·. 

In Dhaka city, people started collecting tolls for allowing to plying each Leguna.

In Shiksan to Gabtoli route each Leguna has to pay Tk 400 as they had to pay Tk 1,500 during the authoritarian Sheikh Hasina regime, according to several Leguna drivers. 

Bus owners said that companies were taking money from each Dhaka city service and long route buses from bus owners in the name of gate pass popularly known as GP.

They said that if the GPs were not taken, the fare of buses would come down significantly and did not have to depend much on fuel oil prices.

Dewan Paribahan managing director Kutubuddin Swapan acknowledged collecting money as GP but said that the money was spent for giving salary of bus driver and his assistant along with accidents or other hassles on roads.

‘We are taking Tk 250-300 as GP now. We spent most of the money for the welfare of owners and workers,’ Kutubuddin said while the company had 41 city service buses. 

Md Emon Hossain, who has been working as a driver’s assistant for the past five years in Dewan Paribahan, said that they got the money after providing money to owner, expensing on oil and GP money.

‘The bus company did not give us money for working in the sector. We have to earn our money after running bus on road and the portion was taken from bus owner,’ said Emon.

Md Hannan Hossain, driver of Dewan Paribahan said that they had to give Tk 800 as GP per day during the AL government while Tk 200 for launching e-ticketing. 

VIP Paribahan has 120 buses and the company takes Tk 500 as GP from each bus, amounting Tk 60,000 per day from every day.

Md Lal Mia, a driver’s assistant of VIP Paribahan, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that they took salary from the bus owners not from the company.

Asked about the toll in the name of GP, VIP Paribahan managing director Abdur Razzak cut the phone calls and did not respond to phone calls after several attempts.

GPs are collecting most of the bus companies in the city like Bhuiyan Paribahan, Desh Shatabdi, Bkash, Raida Paribahan, Tanzil, Labbaik, Malancha and Rajanigandha.

Several transport owners told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· seeking anonymity that police did not take money from August 5 to September but started taking money from the first week of September.

They said that the traffic policemen were filing cases on transports on wholesale basis after having all valid documents in the past few days.

The traffic police are leaving those buses paying toll amount to traffic inspectors.

DMP spokesperson Muhammad Talebur Rahman said that they were unaware about police personnel involved in taking toll from buses.

‘If we receive specific allegations, we will look into the matter,’ Talebur added. 

During the AL regime every city service buses had to pay Tk 110 to the Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity, bus owners said that they had to pay from Tk 50 to Tk 100 for each bus to the same samity.

Bus owners said that the running did not create pressure in the same way like the AL government’s fixed toll, which is a slight relief for them.

On 10 August, BNP Cumilla district unit joint convener Saiful Islam Bhuiyan broke open the offices of the transport owners and workers in the capital’s Eskaton.

On August 14, they formed a convening committee, Saiful Islam convener, MA Baten and Rafiqul Islam Kajol as joint conveners in a 31-member committee.

A total of 71 members committee was formed through an election on September 10 where MA Baten and Saiful Islam elected as president and secretary general respectively while Khondoker Rafiqul Islam Kajol as executive president, said the newly formed committee organising secretary Zahid AL Latif.

‘We are not announcing the names to media as we are waiting for the government’s gazette,’ Zahid added.

Asked about the extortion in the name of GP and the malik samity to the bus owners, Saiful Islam said, ‘We are not collecting tolls. If some people take toll using our name, we will find out and bring them to book.’

He acknowledged about the allegations of taking money from the bus owners in the name of GP by the bus companies.

‘I have found some allegations from owners about GP. We are investigating the matter,’ Saiful added.

According to Saiful, about 240 companies’ buses are plying on roads in Dhaka city while 70 of them did not have proper route permit.

‘We have started working on this as well,’ he added.

On September 23, two groups of the BNP clashed over control of Bandhan Paribahan buses operating on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route, leaving at least 10 people injured.

The clash occurred near the launch terminal area of Narayanganj around noon. Both sides reportedly used firearms, sticks, and other weapons during the confrontation.

Police also detained 12 people in this connection.

Narayanganj Sadar model police station officer-in-charge Nazrul Islam told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that both groups filed two cases over the incident.

‘We have produced eight persons to the court and they were now in jail after two days remands,’ the OC added.

Meanwhile, the tolls were also collected from truck, pick-ups and covered vans in the name of municipalities for long route journey in most districts. 

BNP-Jamaat leaders have been controlling the transport sector in Sylhet since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Sylhet District Bus Owners Association member said that any change in the practice of extortion has not come even though the government has changed, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Staff Correspondent in Sylhet reported. 

A member of the association told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on condition of anonymity that the SDBOA president Abul Kalam, also former vice-president of the district BNP, and Islami Chhatra Shibir’s ex-president Lokman Ahmed are now controlling the transport sector of Sylhet.

‘Kalam was elected president of the SDBOA about a years back after joining to Awami League from BNP. But, immediately after changeover of the state power, he again merged with the BNP,’ the association member said.

Another transport owner said that apart from other kinds of benefits, the complete control of Ena Transport Express is now in the hands of Kalam and Lokman.

Being contacted, Kalam told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that as an uncontrolled-like situation is being prevailed so far in the country, it is tough to know always that what is actually happening. He, however, claimed that the overall situation of Sylhet transport sector is better now.

He also strongly rejected the allegations brought against him of extortion and taking illegal benefit from the transport owners or drivers.

Talking to ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·, district transport workers union’s executive president Abdus Salam said that he heard that extortion is being collected from the vehicles, which are used to carry smuggled and illegal goods.

‘These kinds of incidents are happening through a new syndicate. However, I did not know who are involved with the new syndicate, he said.

Salam also alleged that a gang of hoodlums are illegally collecting toll from the goods loaded trucks while entering the Chhatak municipal area.

“We already have complained against this illegal extortion. We also are ready to take to the streets to protest, if the situation crosses the limit of tolerance,’ he claimed.

In Rajshahi, after the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, two factions of BNP leaders and activists clashed over taking over the office of Rajshahi Road Transport Group on August 09, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported.

Later, the duo factions submitted written complaint with the Rajshahi deputy commissioner, claiming them as the new executive of the Road Transport Group.

Following the incident, the Rajshahi district administration then issued show-cause notices to the duo factions, asking why an administrator from the district administration would not be appointed.

Nazrul Islam Helal, a former member of Rajshahi City BNP who claimed himself as the new general secretary of the group, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that they had already responded the show-cause notice and hoped that he would be declared legal general secretary.

Meanwhile, bus owners and transport workers alleged that collecting money in the name of the road transport group and motor shramik union continued like the previous way.

Wishing anonymity, several transport workers claimed that nothing except shifting the power to another hand has changed after the fall of the autocratic government on August 05.