Photo : Messenger
An alarming situation has been prevailing in the Hatirjheel area, where an estimated amount of more than one lakh taka per day and Tk 40 lakh per month extorted money is being collected from micro and CNG which operate without fitness.
Additionally, unauthorised stands have been established in front of Karwanbazar Petro Bangla, disrupting the flow of traffic on this route. On the other side, the Rampura stand has been established encroaching into Hatirjheel road itself, causing concern among many regarding the degradation of the scenic beauty of Hatirjheel.
There is allegation of involvement of Jatiya Sramik League Tejgaon thana in managing these two stands while Anwar Kabir, the traffic inspector of the Karwanbazar section within the Tejgaon division of traffic, is purportedly acting as the main coordinator of these activities. It has been suggested that he is responsible for the distribution of collected money to various locations.
Such information has been confirmed from field visit and investigation on the issue and talking to the CNG, microbus drivers.
According to the investigation, a total of 80 CNG stations are currently running in Hatirjheel. The number of CNG sometimes exceeds 100. Movement of CNGs with the number plate such as Dhaka-tha, Narayanganj-tha and Gazipur-tha, is illegal in the capital Dhaka. But they operate here because of the extortion.
There are 20 micro and Hice micro run without fitness. Micro operation was closed due to the dispute over extortion, but it started operating from Wednesday. Sometimes the number of micro and Hice reaches 30 to 40.
Under the condition of anonymity, CNG drivers have disclosed some concerning information about the current state of operations on the Hatirjheel line. Reportedly, there are approximately 80 to 90 CNGs, which are from outside Dhaka, currently operating on the Hatirjheel route. These drivers claim to be paying Tk 600 daily for the privilege of running CNG on this line. Additionally, they allege occasional additional payments ranging from 30 to 40 taka per day. Furthermore, there is a monthly charge of Tk 6,000 per car, along with a one-time fee of up to Tk 50,000 for securing a spot on the CNG line. This implies a considerable financial burden on each individual, ranging between 20,000 and 50,000 taka.
Despite the CNGs being expired and deemed unfit for movement in Dhaka, they continue to operate primarily due to financial incentives. The person in charge of this CNG line is identified as Nurul Islam, with Zainal and Laden reportedly working alongside him. These individuals are alleged to have dealings with traffic inspector Anwar Kabir and are responsible for the operation of the CNG line. The drivers emphasise that Anwar Kabir holds a pivotal role, as no vehicle can operate without his explicit permission.
There are distinct entities overseeing micro and CNG operations, controlled by separate groups. Talking to CNG line manager Nurul Islam, on condition of anonymity, he openly acknowledged the financial practices in place. According to Nurul Islam, they collect a fee of 600 taka per CNG on this line, with additional charges fluctuating between 30 and 40 taka on some days. Additionally, CNG operators are required to pay 6000 taka per month. The funds collected serve the purpose of exerting control over traffic police and local police at the thana.
Nurul Islam further revealed that individuals seeking to join this CNG line are expected to make payments ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 taka. This amount is primarily determined by Inspector Kabir.
The calculation highlights a significant financial operation involving the CNGs on the Hatirjheel line. If 80 CNGs are considered, from which 600 taka is collected from each per day, it indeed amounts to 48,000 taka daily. Adding an extra 30 to 40 taka per day per CNG brings the daily subscription to around 50,000 taka. Over a month, this accumulates to approximately Tk 15 lakh.
Additionally, factoring in the monthly charge of 6,000 taka per CNG for 80 vehicles results in a monthly extortion fee of around 4 lakh 80 thousand taka. Therefore, the total monthly subscription for CNG on the Hatirjheel line could be estimated at about 20 lakhs taka.
It appears that the micro's line was initially managed by a Sramik League leader named Masud but due to conflicts, he is no longer in control. Currently, the line is being overseen by Sramik League's Tejgaon thana Joint Secretary Murad, with support from Aminul Islam Liton, the president of the Thana Sramik League.
Talking to these two leaders while keeping their identity secret, it was revealed that Masud used to run the line earlier. There were many complaints against him. Because of this, micro movement was stopped on the line for a few days. Now the line is back on operation.
They said, earlier around 30 micro used to operate. Sometimes the number increased. Masud used to charge Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 from the owners when he introduced a new micro in the line. The minimum was from 1200 to 2000 thousand taka depending on the seat of Micro.
“Sometimes wreckers were brought for not paying the police. Sometimes police used to create trouble. That's why we removed him.”
In response to a question, they said that the operators have expressed a commitment to avoiding further trouble and have initiated a new line without charging owners of new micros initially. However, they have specified a daily cost for the line, ranging from 1500 to 2000 taka depending on the seat. There is no mention of monthly line charges, and they express a willingness to increase the number of micros if necessary.
If the average daily cost for the micro is 1500 taka, it results in a daily revenue of 45,000 taka for the 20 micros, as compared to the previous 30 micros. Additionally, an extra 50 taka per day per micro brings the daily total to 47,000 taka. In a month, the estimated revenue for running the line is around 14 lakh 10 thousand taka.
It has been revealed that a significant financial transaction concerning the monthly extortion fee for CNG and micro, reaches totaling 34 lakh 10 thousand taka. Additionally, new CNGs on the line are required to pay amounts ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 taka. Considering at least 10 new CNGs are added every month, this would result in an additional revenue stream of around 200,000 to 500,000 taka. The investigation estimates that on an average around 40 lakh taka monthly fee is being extorted from Hatirjheel micro and CNG.
Thus illegal CNG and microbus are running in one of the most prominent recreational spot Hatirjheel in the heart of Dhaka.
The presence of an unauthorised stand causing traffic congestion in the Rampura area is a concerning issue, especially when it affects the flow of traffic and the overall beauty of Hatirjheel. The law enforcers including police and secyurity personnel do not take action against them.
Director (Development Control) Mobarak Hossain from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has expressed a commitment to taking action to preserve the beauty of Hatirjheel. He assured of communicating with senior officers within the organisation.
In addition, Traffic Police Tejgaon Division Assistant Commissioner Snehashish said that it is not right that action cannot be taken against these vehicles.
“We sometimes take action and sometimes even send them to dumping through wrecker.”
He however declined to comment on the extortion issue involving huge amount of money. On the traffic inspector, he suggested to filing written complaint against him.
Messenger/Disha
