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Brokers rule BRTA office

'Rulingparty leaders' make quick money arranging fitness certificates for unfit vehicles

Shariful Islam
A black taxi with its usual wobbly wheels and numerous dents ground to a halt in front of the vehicle inspectors at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority office. The squeaks, rattles, the blunt noises and the hissing went on, as the engine was kept running.
As the BRTA staff opened the bonnet plumes of blue smoke and white steam headed upwards. Any layman could say that the vehicle should have been scrapped years ago.
Looking at the condition of the vehicle even the motor transport inspector appeared shocked. But one of the brokers, who were around the official, came before him and gave him a smile and the fitness was okayed just like that. The official did not even
SEE PAGE 12 COL 7 FROM PAGE 1 expendaword.
To understand the meaning of that smile and other almost untraceablc non-verbal communication between the broker and the BREA official, The Daily Star correspondent after watch -ing the whole thing approached another broker In the guise of a person needing a fitness certificate for his vehicle.
"The meaning of the smile is that a deal has already been struck between them," said the broker. The broker nicknamed Shamim also said the official usually takes around Tk 1,250 to Issue fitness certificates for such taxis.
He said sometimes the amount varies depending on how close a broker is to the official.
To reinforce the camouflage and glean more information out of the broker, the correspondent asked whether he could help manage a fitness certificate for a car without bringing the vehicle to the BRIA from a remote district Shamim said he would be able todoitforTk2,000.
"Now the 'price' is a bit high as the officials take photos of the vehicles during examination," said Shamim, one of the leading and influential brokers at BRTA Mirpur office.
As crackdown on unfit vehicles in the capital began to ease congestion, owners and drivers of such vehicles thronged the BRTA offices during the last couple of days to get their papers in order.
The rush of vehicles has made the scope for bribery even wider. A large section of unscrupulous BRTA officials and staff maintaining an unholy nexus with the brokers have been in this illegal practice for a long time, said a num -her of vehicle owners standing in long queues.
During the visit to the BRTA office yesterday, The Daily Star
correspondent found different types of vehicles, including buses, taxis, microbuses, cars and CNG-run auto rickshaws standing in long queue on the road.
"My fitness certificate^ expired around a month ago but I did not come to renew it out of laziness. But now I had to come as you know a crackdown is going on against unfit vehicles." said the owner of a car wishing anonymity.
BRTA Assistant Director Mohsin Hossain said usually around 250 to 300 vehicles enter the compound for different purposes. Now the number has almost double.
BROKERS
Don't call them brokers, call them party leaders. Do you know how powerful they are? Go and do something about them if you have the courage," said a top BRTA official at the Mirpuroffice.
A BRTA office staff said. "Now al) the brokers are local unit leaders of the ruling Awami League and its wings.'
"Not only us. sometimes even our inspectors do not get any money [bribe share). They (brokers) take all the money from clients saying that they have to give it to the officials but they keep it all sometimes," said the BRTA staff requesting anonymity.
The Daily Star correspondent yesterday saw that a number of brokers were entering the offices of inspectors and asking them to sign documents. The inspectors sign the documents without protest
“Three quarters of us here are from Gopalganj. We all are unemployed and just earning some money to live as we have no jobs," said broker Mahfuzur Rahman, who hails from Kashiaru upazila He used to work at a government pharmaceutical company but lost his job during the BNP-led govern-ment'stenure.