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Brisk business with illegal, risky vehicles

Our Correspondent, Dinajpur
Due to poor enforcement of the law, the business of illegal vehicles, popularly known as Nasiman, Kariman and Bhotbhoti, have been thriving in northern districts.
The locally made three-wheelers, powered by a small water pump engine, have been growing in number and size. They used to be about six feet long but nowadays they come as big as 20 feet and can take loads of up to five tonnes.
They tootle on mostly regional highways and even national highways, creating moving roadblocks for other vehicles and raising the chances of accidents.
Almost every day people are killed in accidents in which these vehicles are involved.
Yet, use and manufacturing of the vehicles are going on unabetted.
The demand for these improvised vehicles has gone up in the last few years as they are affordable, have low operating cost, return high, and are popular among poor people, vehicle builders of Dinajpur and Joypurhat told The Daily Star.
Nasimon builder Azizar Rahman of Biral upazila in Dinajpur said he has been making the vehicles for the last 15 years. He builds them in different sizes but now buyers want larger vehicles.
"We build according to the buyers' demand ... A 20-feet Nasimon will cost youTk 4 lakh at least," he said.
Masudur Rahman, a builder of Joypurhat, said a large vehicle is capable of carrying up to five tonnes.
Lal Mia, who owns and drives a large Nasimon, said he uses Ambari-Phulbari-Birampur of Dinajpur-Gobindaganj Road to carry people and cattle.
His vehicle was small before but he recently had it supersized. Before, he could carry three cattle and now he can carry 10 and five people, charging Tk 200 for each cattle and Tk 30 per person.
"I can earn more this way," he said.
When asked about the vehicle being illegal and risky, Lal Mia's response was “no problem at all". "We send money every month to places 'to manage people',” he said, adding that they have an organisation for dealing with these matters.
He requested his details not be printed. The Daily Star could not reach the organisation he mentioned.
Sadaktul Bari, a traffic inspector of Dinajpur, said police officials taking money to allow illegal vehicles run on roads was nothing but rumours. He said they seize such vehicles whenever they find them.
Devdas Bhattacharia, deputy inspector general of police of Rangpur range, admitted that the number of the illegal vehicles has gone up in recent times.
"We are going to take action against the illegal vehicles," he said.
M Rafiq, president of Transport Workers Union in Dinajpur, said the vehicles are made with steel angles and spares of manufacturing factories.
“Controlling system of these illegal vehicles are so bad," he said, adding that the brakes, steering and headlights were seriously inadequate.
He demanded immediate action against these vehicles.