Extortion rampant in transport sector

A state minister who also runs a transport business has come down hard on police and transport workers' organisations for rampant extortion from buses and trucks on highways across the country.

“How would a transport owner survive if he has to pay Tk 7,000 to Tk 8,000 for a trip from Dhaka to Panchagarh,” said State Minister for Rural Development and Co-operatives Mashiur Rahman Ranga, also president of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, yesterday.

He categorically accused leaders and workers of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Shramik Federation of unabated extortion on the highways. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan is the executive president of the Shramik Federation, the umbrella organisation of transport workers' bodies.

Though the Federation is supposed to be an organisation for transport workers, many non-workers have been included in it. And to maintain a huge number of members, it indulges in extortion from transport, Ranga alleged.

“Against 100 buses in a district, there are 7,000 workers. Why do we have to shoulder the responsibility of 7,000 workers? Why should we pay extortion money to workers?” he asked, adding the situation needs to be changed gradually.

Ranga was addressing his association's biannual general meeting in the capital.

Speaking at the event, Khandaker Enayetullah, secretary general of the Association, said they sat with Shajahan Khan several times to stop extortion in transport sector.

In one meeting, he said, the Federation even proposed to fix the amount of extortion money to control it.

“But I opposed. [I said] Be it highways or terminals, there will not be any kind of extortion. We will pay our toll to the offices of associations concerned. And you [the Federation] will collect it from the offices at the end of the day or month. Through this, we'll declare the transport sector extortion-free across the country.”

But the Federation rejected his proposal, said Enayet.

In 2012, transport leaders led by Shajahan demanded before a parliamentary sub-committee that extortion be made legal to stop uncontrolled corruption in the transport sector.

They also chalked out ways of how there will be “legal toll collection” from buses, trucks, auto-rickshaws and labourers working in the sector.

In defence of their demand, Shajahan at the time said extortion would stop on roads once “toll collection” was legalised.

Enayet then had backed Shajahan. But questioned about it yesterday, he said “legalised toll collection” is not a solution.

“The actual amount paid by transport owners and workers would be much higher than what would be fixed because of involvement of various quarters including local goons,” he explained.   

The Daily Star could not contact Shajahan over the phone.

Osman Ali Khan, general secretary of the Federation, however, claimed none of it's members is involved in extortion. “As per our charter, we collect Tk 10 each from workers,” he said.

Asked about alleged involvement of police, Abdul Alim, deputy inspector general at the Police Headquarters, said if anyone comes up with specific complaints, they will definitely take action.   

Atiqul Islam, deputy inspector general of Highway Police, refuted the allegation of extortion against his men. “There is no instance of extortion by Highway Police,” he told The Daily Star last night when asked about the allegation.

“I have been in charge of the Highway Police for the last one and a half years but nobody ever raised such allegations,” he said. “Extortion on highways and extortion by Highway Police are two different things.”

He, however, said if they receive any concrete allegations, they will carry out investigation and take action.

Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, said ultimately passengers have to bear the brunt of extortion in transport sector.

He said they came to know from owners and workers that each bus has to pay Tk 600 to 1,200 and a human haulier Tk 600 to 800 as extortion money in the capital every day. “Police and workers' organisations are involved in it.”

Most of the buses in the city do not follow the government's fare chart and overcharge passengers as they have to pay “extortion money,” he said.

The extortion from trucks is more significant because it impacts the prices of essentials, he added.

ALLEGATIONS WIDESPREAD 

Yesterday, around 20 transport owners from the eight divisions spoke at the programme, held at Mahanagar Natya Mancha in the capital.

Most of them slammed different transport workers' organisations and police for extortion from passenger buses and goods-laden trucks across the country.

"We provide transport to the government whenever it wants. But police arbitrarily requisition our vehicles and never pay a single penny for it," said Principal Kabir Ahmed of Comilla.

Another transport leader, Safuan Uddin Ahmed of Meherpur, alleged that whenever a new traffic inspector joins, he starts seizing vehicles to make owners aware of his presence.

"It doesn't matter whether documents of the vehicles are okay or not. As soon as the new traffic inspector takes office, he begins extortion with fresh enthusiasm," he said, adding they have been victim of such practices for years.

Golam Nabi, a leader of Truck Owners' Association in Chittagong, alleged they are mostly harassed by the police of Narayanganj. "No goods trucks can pass Narayanganj without bribing the police."

Asked by The Daily Star, a leader of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, could not give any estimate of the amount of extortion money they pay per month or year. 

In 2012, a parliamentary sub-committee said workers' leaders, especially those of a minister-led labour organisation, were running an extortion regime.

The minister's organisation was having the largest share of the pie, it added.

“It collects at least Tk 51 crore a year in the name of raising funds for workers' welfare,” said M Israfil Alam, the then chairman of the sub-committee, formed by the parliamentary standing committee on labour.

According to the sub-committee, more than 23 lakh workers are employed in the transport industry with over 5 lakh buses. There are 7,490 workers' unions, 510 workers' organisations and 412 bus owners' associations.

Quoting other transport leaders, the sub-committee chief said rampant “toll collection” resulted in transport fare hikes by 40 to 200 percent. People end up paying high fares and also increased prices of commodities.

According to a 2016 intelligence report, ruling party men, transport workers, government officials, policemen and some journalists are involved in extortion on highways and at bus and ferry terminals.

Yesterday, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association held its council after the meeting and re-elected Ranga and Enayet as president and secretary general.

THREE WHEELERS ON HIGHWAYS

Local lawmakers let improvised motorised three-wheelers called Nosimon, Korimon and Bhotbhoti to ply the highways because of popular demand, defying a court order, said Ranga.

The state minister urged transport owners to unite and make lawmakers understand that these three-wheelers are not fit for highways.

On January 25, 2017, the High Court imposed a ban on plying of the improvised three-wheelers on highways to reduce the number of road crashes.

The court also directed the government to take legal action against those who will run such poorly built vehicles on the highways defying the ban.