FROM PAGE 3

COMPLAINTS POUR IN

Visiting different city points recently, this correspondent saw toll collectors at work.

At Jai Kali Mandir, a toll collector was seen running behind a pick-up van and stopped it near a filling station, around 200 metres away from the spot they were collecting tolls.

The driver Mohammad Aslam reluctantly paid Tk 30.

“I’m carrying goods from our factory to deliver it to Gulshan. I have not used any terminal… why should they charge me?” said a frustrated Aslam.

Kalu Sheikh, managing director of Moumita Paribahan, said they are operating around 150 buses from Chandra to Narayanganj.

“We pay parking fees at Gabtali Terminal and to Narayanganj City Corporation. But DSCC is now collecting Tk 40 from each bus from Bakshibazar point although we don’t park our buses at Gulistan,” he said.

Mohammad Barkat Ullah Bhulu, president of Dhaka Mahanagar Auto-rickshaw Beboshayee Malik Samity, said due to acute shortage of parking facilities in the city, their drivers are already paying traffic penalty every day.

“We are already paying fines to police for illegal parking… now DSCC is taking terminal fees from us without even giving us any terminal facility,” he said.

Khandaker Enayet Hossain, secretary general of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Owners’ Association, said they are not against paying tolls. “But DSCC will have to ensure that there are terminals for us,” he said.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the rise in toll fees -- at Fulbaria from Tk 20 to Tk 40, at Gulistan from Tk 30 to Tk 60 and at Sayedabad from Tk 40 to Tk 60.

ALL IN NAME OF ROAD REPAIR

Contacted, ABM Aminullah Nuri, chief executive officer of DSCC, said they have introduced it to stop illegal toll collection and bring the system under discipline and a legal framework.

Asked why they are collecting tolls in the name of terminals when there are no proper terminals in the areas, and as well as from roads, Nuri said, “We are collecting tolls as vehicles are using DSCC roads and the city corporation has to spend money to repair it. We are only collecting tolls from commercial transports.”

Regarding the allegations of illegal and additional toll collections, the DSCC CEO said they have already instructed police to take necessary steps in this regard.

“We will also conduct mobile court drives to stop that,” he assured.

Contacted, Md Altaf Masud, managing director of Uttara Chaka, said some people unbeknownst to them collected toll from trucks initially. “We have instructed our people not to take tolls from trucks,” said Masud. He said they have also informed the police station concerned to take action against this illegal toll collection.

He said they are not charging extra money from vehicles beyond the DSCC assigned rate.

Md Shaifur Rahman, proprietor of Minhaz Enterprise, also said they do not take any extra money from vehicles.

He, however, alleged that they do not get tolls from many vehicles though they were supposed to pay tolls as per the contract. He said they are taking tolls from the designated places as per the contract with DSCC.