Published on 07:48 PM, January 05, 2024

Worried your vehicle may be requisitioned? Here's what you should know

People lining up to get on a city bus in the capital's Mohakhali area this morning. Despite being a Friday, the weekly holiday, crowds like this were seen in many areas as many transport operators did not bring vehicles out on the roads for fear of the vehicles being requisitioned. Photo: Shaheen Mollah
Rafiul Islam

Law enforcers are requisitioning vehicles as they need a large number of transport to carry out election duties and to carry voting equipment.

This stands as a worry for owners of different types of vehicles including buses, microbuses, pickups, and human haulers. Many public transport operators choose not to ply their vehicles on city streets for fear of requisition, causing hardships for commuters.

In the last couple of days, people were seen waiting on the roads to avail public transport but many had to walk for kilometres to reach their destination.

Some city bus drivers and helpers in Dhaka said they were not operating buses as they were not paid once their vehicles were requisitioned by law enforcers.

Section 103A of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance-1976 allows members of the law enforcement to requisition vehicles for a period not exceeding seven days, if such vehicle is required in the public interest.

But allegations do the rounds against law enforcers of rampant requisition. Many took to the Facebook group "Traffic Alert" to express their frustration.

In 2010, amid widespread allegations of the misuse of the ordinance by a section of law enforcers, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition with the High Court.

The HC on July 31, 2019 said police could not requisition private cars, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and taxis. On June 8, 2022, in a full verdict, the HC laid down 11 guidelines that law enforcers are to follow to requisition vehicles only in "public interest".

So, in the event that law enforcement officials want to requisition your vehicle, here are some of the directives you should know:

  • No vehicle owned by a private individual, company or organisation should be requisitioned without giving any prior notice.
  • No vehicle shall be requisitioned for more than seven days at a time while the requisition order shall specifically mention the number of days.
  • Under no circumstance should police requisition any vehicle carrying any patient, disabled person or airport-bound passengers.
  • The police have to pay compensation to the owner of the requisitioned vehicles within 15 days of releasing the requisitioned vehicles.
  • If requisitioned vehicles are damaged during the period, the requisitioning authorities have to pay necessary compensation.
  • The requisitioning authorities have to bear the fuel costs and other related expenses of the requisitioned vehicles.
  • The requisitioning authorities have to pay compensation to the owner of the requisitioned vehicle and daily allowance to the drivers and helpers.
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