• Lax-vigilance blamed
  

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• Over 40,000 unauthorized CNG plying randomly on roads and highways
  

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• Tk 2 crore is realized per month as illegal toll
  

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• The toll money is allegedly shared among the top bosses of concerned organizations

Special Correspondent:

Due to lax-vigilance of the authority concerned, drivers and owners of several thousand unauthorized CNG-driven auto-rickshaws have become reckless in nine upazilas of Sirajganj district.

They are roaming from one place to another of the roads and highways along with unauthorized and unfit CNG-auto rickshaws right under the noses of the administration. As a result, plying of heavy transports is being hampered on highways as well as accidents are occurring frequently at different places that claiming many lives. Many are getting crippled due to fatal accidents and bearing the brunt. But, traffic police can’t control them due to unknown reasons. Police are playing role as helpless in this regard.

Even, police in some cases are becoming victims of attack by the illegal CNG drivers or owners, while they are moving to apply traffic rules on the roads and highways in the district.

As per example, an on duty traffic constable of Hatikumrul Highway police station named Ulal Uddin came under attack of some unruly CNG-driven auto-rickshaws’ drivers at Hatikumrul intersection on Sunday last, while he and his other colleagues were discharging duty there.

Ulal was the victim of attack as he took part in the drive against illegal CNG auto-rickshaws and tried to ensure legal action against the law violators.

Abdur Rauf, Officer in Charge of Hatikumrul Highway thana told The Daily Sky that, “Traffic police had been working on the highway to ensure smooth journey of Eid holiday makers, who were returning to their working places after celebrating Eid festival with their near and dear ones. But, unauthorized CNG drivers came to the highways despite the ban that creates chaos on the highway and hampers smooth movement of authorized vehicles.

Due to protest in such illicit deeds, the CNG drivers and workers engaged in scuffle with the cops and at one stage, they attacked the police constable leaving him injured.

The injured police constable was given preliminary aid. A case was also lodged in the respective police station in this connection.

Relevant sources said, there are over 40,000 CNG-driven auto-rickshaws, which are plying randomly on different roads and highways in nine upazilas of the district.

According to the sources of BRTA’s Assistant Director Office in Sirajganj, there are 4010 CNG-driven auto-rickshaws in the district, which took license once upon a time in the last 16 years. Most of these CNGs’ licenses have already been expired and many of them have not been renewed.

However, the BRTA Sirajganj office in a written statement secured by this correspondent through RTI revealed that, they have been conducted some 588 drives in the mentioned five years (2019-2023) against illegal and unfit vehicles and filed 1020 cases. They also realized some money as fine from some unauthorized vehicles during the periods.

This is not the end, tale is still remaining. There is no official record of taking license by any CNG from BRTA since 2019 to 2023.

A reliable source said, no CNG-driven auto-rickshaw was taken license from Sirajganj district BRTA office in the last 15 years of Awami League government regime. But, 20 to 30 new CNG-auto-rickshaws came on the roads every day and those have been plied illegally in front of the concerned authorities paying monthly toll to a section of influential association leaders backed by autocratic Awami League.

Those unauthorized and unfit vehicles pay Tk 500 as toll per month to the recruited agents of so-called CNG drivers and owners’ association, whose were set at different points in the nine upazilas of the district for collecting the toll money.

In exchange, the toll collectors on behalf of the association provide a round sticker to each toll payer in which police or other authorized persons refrain from making any kind of disturbance to them.

Those stickers are pasted in front of the CNGs’ glasses as symbolic signal of paying monthly toll. As a result, no police or other authorized person prevents their movement. Thus, the association has been controlling the sector for the last one and half decade by establishing unseen supremacy, the sources claimed.

Those, the syndicate members collect about Tk 2 crore per month and the money is shared among the top bosses of the respective organizations.

Seeking anonymity, some CNG drivers said, “This trend has been continuing in the district since the last 15 to 16 years. Till the date, the trend has remained unchanged. Just the toll collectors and association leaders have been changed after political transformation on August 5 last year.”

“Why the district administration, BRTA and police administration have been playing silent role in this case year on year, we can’t understand,” they raised question.

No concerned officer of the police administration, district administration and even BRTA office in Sirajganj agree to make any comment in this regard even after contacting several times.

Civil society members urged the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to rein the CNG sector for the sake of ensuring safety on roads and highways in the district.

They said, the incumbent Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police in Sirajganj are known as very honest and sincere in their professional fields. They must be able to rein the sector, if try.