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Other side of vehicle requisition

Some cops turn it into a good business

Mukhlesur Rahman
Mohammad Rafiq was pleading to the traffic sergeant not to requisition his microbus just two days after it was requisitioned.
Rafiq's microbus was taken to a place behind the Passport Office in Agargaon where around 100 other buses, microbuses and pick-up vans were already parked.
Five hours had gone by since the microbus was stopped around 8:00pm near Pongu Hospital and Rafiq was still looking for a way to get his vehicle released. "I know what I will have to go through if my vehicle is requisitioned," Rafiq said.
Finally Rafiq found a way, which was promptly taken up by most other owners and drivers of the 100 vehicles kept atAgargaon.
Rafiq went to the deputy commissioner's (traffic) office in Mohammadpur and managed a chit in exchange for a bribe ofTk 2,500. By the time he returned to Agargaon, instructions to release his microbus had already reached there and he got his car back.
The case of Rafiq is not a one-off incident. A large number of traffic personnel are harassing motorists on city streets and taking bribes by threatening to requisition theirvehicles.
A good number of CNG run auto rickshaw owners alleged that since November 16 traffic police personnel across the city have been intercepting their vehicles and releasing them after realising bribe ofTk 200 toTk 500 from each.
They said although they have all the necessary documents, traffic police personnel harass the auto rickshaw drivers for not having doors in the passenger cabin.
"Though the authorities concerned circulated no notice for introducing doors in the passenger cabin, we are harassed on the streets every day by the law enforcers." they said.
Joint Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman told The Daily Star that he held a meeting with the leaders of three auto rickshaw owners' associations and it was decided that within a month (which expired on November 15) the owners would install doors in the passenger cabin.
He added as most of the auto rickshaw owners failed to keep their pledge, the DMP authorities yesterday extended the (leadline till
November 30.,
Many auto rickshaw owners. however, do notbelong to any auto rickshaw owners' association.
Vehicle owners allege that unscrupulous traffic personnel realise Tk 2,500 to 4,000 from a microbus, Tk 1,500 to 2,000 from a taxicab, around Tk 1,000 from a pick-up van as bribe for sparing them.
Sources in different bus service operators said a bus service operator has to pay Tk 30,000 to 50,000 a month to avoid requisition of their vehicles.
A number of rental car providers, bus drivers and pick-up van owners in the city alleged that traffic sergeants stop 15 to 20 vehicles even though they have a slip to requisition only one vehicle. At the end they requisition one vehicle but realise Tk 2,000-4.000 bribe from each of the other vehicles.
The money is then shared among top to low-level traffic policeofficials.
Aggrieved vehicle owners said two traffic police personnel at deputy commissioner’s (motor transport) office collect the bribe and arrange sharing of the money.
"A traffic sergeant and a constable at DC Motor Transport office in Rajarbagh run the underhand dealings in the name of requisition," an office bearer of a pick-up van owners' association said wishing anonymity.
Former joint commissioner (traffic) Manjur Kader Khan, who was recently transferred from the post, denied the allegation of taking bribes by traffic police personnel and said "As we have started combing operation against vehicles which do not have route permits or have other faults, me drivers and vehicle owners concerned are
bringing such false allegations against traffic police."
During the last caretaker government, bribe taking in the name of requisition was almost nil as different vehicle owners' associations supplied required vehicles to police on regular basis under an agreement between them and top police officials.
Besides, the authorities would deploy plain-clothes policemen to watch whether on-duty traffic sergeants were unnecessarily stopping vehicles, harassing drivers or collectingbribe.
"Though we are providing microbuses to police as per the agreement, traffic sergeants requisition our vehicles at least twice a month if we do not pay bribe regularly," said a rental car business owner at Paribagh seeking anonymity.
An office bearer of a city pick-up van owners' association also made similar allegation, "Two city police stations are using four of our pick-up vans on condition that they will not requisition the association's vehicles. But traffic police personnel frequently requisition our vehicles and we have to get them back paying bribes. "
Joint commissioner (traffic) office sources said usually they have to requisition around 250 vehicles on an average day and generally they do not requisition a vehicle that has been requisitioned within the last three months.
Manjur Kader Khan said he had received some written complaints about irregularities in requisitioning vehicles but the complainants did not mention their names and addresses and this is why it is impossible to take actions against the "accused" traffic personnel.