Rajshahi Correspondent :Rajshahi city has now turned into a city of battery -run easy bikes locally known as “Auto-rickshaw” due to lax-vigilance of the concerned traffic police and authorities of City Corporation, posing risk and hampering the movements of commuters. Despite the ban of Metropolitan police, several thousands of battery driven unauthorized “Auto-rickshaw” are plying on the main streets in the city everyday, creating extreme traffic jam and increasing different shaped of accidents. Those vehicles are playing on the streets after managing some unscrupulous traffic police and officials of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), locals claimed.Sources said that, the plying of battery run “Auto-rickshaw” has been increased on the streets in the city for the last few years due to its cheap rate and easy availability. Most of the Auto-rickshaws are now being manufactured in the city’s workshops and sold from different showrooms. Each Fasy Bike or “Auto-rickshaw” is being sold between Tk 1.30 lakh and Tk 1.45. As a result, many people including youths are now purchasing the vehicles from local markets and involving with driving on different streets. But, they are not following the government rules and regulations. While talking, many passengers of the auto-rickshaw said that, accidents and traffic jam are increasing on the streets due to plying of the “Auto-rickshaw” by inefficient drivers. Most of people, who earlier used to pull rickshaw-vans, are now plying the battery run Auto-rickshaws (Easy Bikes) without any training. Even, many of them don’t have necessary papers like license of the vehicle and driving. A reliable source of Rajshahi City Corporation said that, there has a provision to take license from City Corporation authorities for plying such type of vehicles in the city’s streets. The City Corporation has also fixed at Tk 2200 as license fees for each battery run Easy Bike or Auto-rickshaw. But, most of the drivers avoid taking of license and ply the vehicle on the streets after managing some traffic police. Seeking anonymity, some drivers said that, procuring to Tk 2200 at a time is very difficult for an Easy Bike owner or driver. For this reason, they avert taking of license from the City Corporation and manage traffic police everyday by paying Tk 10 to Tk 20 for plying their unlicensed vehicle, they said. While asked about the quantity of such battery run Auto-rickshaws, no official of traffic office in the city could be replied. However, the City Corporation authorities claimed the number is not above of 10,000; while the locals claimed that the number has already exceeded 22,000. Of them, around 8,500 Auto-rickshaws have license of RCC.According to the police record, about 100 accidents, five of them major, took place with auto-rickshaws in the city’s streets in the last two years leaving around 2 people dead and 300 others injured. Many of the injured have accepted disability. On condition of anonymity, an official of Power Development Board (PDB) in Rajshahi said that, a bulk portion of their supplied power is being devoured by the “Auto-rickshaw” everyday that leading to power crisis in the city. Besides, the Easy Bikes or “Auto-rickshaw” users are not paying the bills of power as per the government regulations. Consequently, the government is being deprived of predictable revenue earnings.Jamaat Khan, Secretary of Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad said that, the number of accidents is increasing and movements of the commuters are being hampered due to plying of huge quantities of “Auto-rickshaw” on the city’s streets. But, the authorities concerned are not taking action against the unauthorized “Auto-rickshaw” and drivers for unknown reason. Ryhan Ibn Rahman, Traffic Inspector (TI)-1 said that, they are also in concerned over the abnormally rising of illegal Auto-rickshaws on the streets. Meanwhile, they have requested to RCC authorities not to issue more license on Easy Bikes or Auto-rickshaws. He however said, most of the Auto-rickshaws come in the city’s streets from outside at morning and leave the city at night. An official of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) seeking anonymity told that, plying of Easy Bikes has now become a manner of living for many unemployed youths in the city. For this reason, they are playing silence role over the issue. However, drives would be conducted within short time against the unlicensed “Auto-rickshaw” and their drivers, after recruitment of newly mayor in the city corporation, he added.
