Extortion on the roads must be stopped

Unfortunately, due to the lack of road management and sustainable infrastructure, anarchy like extortion has become an unwritten rule.

Anarchy on the roads is not being eliminated due to the ineffective role of those responsible in the transport structure.

According to a recent report, 932 owner-worker organizations in the country’s road and transportation sector depend on extortion for income.

In most cases, the organizations are becoming reckless in collecting extortion.

The report further said that extortion on the roads is also taking the form of violence. The situation is such that the wheels of the vehicle do not turn unless the extortion is paid.

For the wheels of a vehicle to turn, everyone has to be satisfied, from local leaders to owner-worker organizations, supervisory institutions, and transport registration agencies. Bribes are also paid to obtain vehicle registration and driver’s licenses.

In all areas of the transport sector, tolls are collected in different ways. The method of collecting tolls for passenger transport and goods vehicles is different.

Buses are centrally controlled by the Route Owners Association.

The associations collect money under the pretext of transportation management and administration.

For the control over cargo trucks, extortion begins from the moment the goods are loaded onto the truck.

After the newly elected government took office, everyone expected it to be active from the start in eliminating irregularities like extortion on the roads.

But recently, a controversy has arisen around a statement by the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges.

The comments he made in his speech about the difference between extortion and extortion largely justify extortion.

Regardless of the circumstances, whether willing or unwilling, it is an unethical way of earning money without hard work.

There is no alternative to strict surveillance by the concerned ministries, law enforcement agencies, traffic police, and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to stop extortion on the roads.

The process of leasing buses to drivers on a daily deposit basis in the city must be stopped.

To end anarchy and harassment of passengers in the transport sector, the work of BRTA’s mobile courts must be conducted in an orderly manner.

Ensuring appointment letters and monthly salaries in accordance with the rules for the drivers and assistants will be the biggest welfare. At this moment, a new road culture needs to be built.

The responsibility of building this culture does not lie with the state alone. Multi-stakeholder participation is also essential in this regard.