Battery-run rickshaws still plying on roads defying ban

Syed Shemul Parvez :
Unauthorised battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes are still plying on different streets in the capital and elsewhere in the country although the government imposed a country-wide ban on movement of these auto-rickshaws.
It is alleged that these illegal vehicles operate on the roads by paying monthly ‘token’ money to ruling party men and law enforcers. ” Thousands of taka is being raised per month in this way and it is paid to the influentials who are in the ring of running illegal battery-run rickshaws, easy bikes and battery-run vans across the country,” according to insiders.
The ring appointed linemen in the capital who collect Tk 20 to Tk 50 from each driver of illegal battery-run rickshaws. They also provide them (drivers) with a ‘permission’ card.
“The government has banned plying of battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes in the cities and towns across the country as these vehicles consume huge electricity for getting charged and cause rapid accident,” a member of the government taskforce on Strengthen Order in the Road Transport Sector and Control Road Accidents, told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
When asked, he said, “It is the duty of the law enforcers to prohibit plying of these illegal vehicles on the roads. The taskforce has already asked the concerned agencies to enforce the ban order. The city corporation authorities must take battery-run rickshaws off from roads in the capital.”
The taskforce was formed on October 15, 2019 to implement the 111 recommendations submitted by a committee on April 28, 2019 to bring back order on roads and contain accidents.
Illegal auto-rickshaws are now running in many areas of the capital, including Dhanmondi, Hazaribagh, Lalbagh, Mugda, Maniknagar, Rampura, Jatrabari, Khilgaon, Bashabo, Mohakhali, Wireless Gate, Chairman Bari and Mirpur. Owners of battery-run rickshaws operate their vehicles in the alleys and by-lanes in the residential areas of the city in day-time and such vehicles run in the main roads after the evening.
Milon Miah, an illegal auto-rickshaw puller in the capital’s Mugda area, said “I pay Tk 1,400 per month to a local lineman so that I can run my vehicle.”
“We have to buy a monthly token from the lineman for running our vehicle on the streets. We have specific area for plying this vehicle where police never hinder us to see the specific sign labeled on the vehicles,” Milon said.
 He added, “Several hundred drivers of our area regularly buy these monthly tokens from the lineman. The lineman collects such tokens from local police.”
When asked, Mohammad Moinul Ahsan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Traffic Motijheel zone told the New Nation yesterday that their drive against such illegal vehicles is on. “As part of the initiative, we generally use to seize illegal battery-run auto- rickshaws regularly. Some time we send these vehicles to the dumping centers.”
It is asked that a strong syndicate consists of ruling party-men as well as members of the law forcemeat run this business in case of allotting money each other, DC Moinul said, “Actually I don’t have any more idea about it. But if we get any complain against our force members, we must take action against them.”
Mostak Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Traffic Wari zone told the New Nation that our regular operations and efforts of filing cases against these illegal vehicle are on to stop them in the capital.
We are always alert about plying these illegal vehicles in the main road especially the area which under our deployment. But without deployment area, we have nothing to do, DC Wari added.
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury said before legalising unsafe electric rickshaws and easy bikes, the government should emphasis on road safety issues.
“These vehicles must be removed from the streets and as an alternative, the number of public transports should be increased in the cities,” he added.