Toll in guise of security?

A ward councillor has been collecting money from businesses and residents in the capital's Arambagh, Fakirapool and adjacent areas for over a month in the name of ensuring security there, said locals.

AKM Mominul Haque Sayeed, councillor of ward-9 of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), has set up iron gates at the entrances to many roads and alleys in the locality and deployed some 50 security guards there. Traders complained that the councillor's men are charging them Tk 100 to Tk 500 a month for “running the service”.

Seeking anonymity for fear of reprisal, traders said Sayeed virtually took control of all the entrances to the area which houses kitchen markets, hotels, restaurants, printing presses, shops and residential homes.

Sayeed is also a joint general secretary of the Dhaka south unit Jubo League, the youth front of the ruling Awami League. The newly hired security guards recently paraded through some streets in the area, creating panic among locals.

Visiting the area of late, this correspondent found that iron gates were installed at the entries to Royal Academy (Arambagh High School) Lane, Dallas Lane, Commissioner Lane, Masjid Lane, Jiner Tower Lane and Culvert Road. Even the three-foot wide entrance to Sardar Bari Lane was not left out. 

A trader said Sayeed along with his men on July 7 stopped a local resident from setting up a security gate at the entrance to a private lane leading to Hazi Sabid Ali Market in Fakirapool, stating that only he could install such a gate in the area.

Another businessman complained that he had to pay the councilor's men a monthly charge of Tk 300 against a departmental store and Tk 500 against a residential hotel. “Even the small vendors in the area are not spared from the charge.”             

“I've been doing business here for about 45 years, but I've never experienced such an extortion tactic in the name of ensuring security,” he added.

A leader of Fakirapool Bazar Byabosayee Samity said they cannot protest the incident as the law enforcers would not stand by them against a councillor, blessed by the ruling party.

Sayeed, however, denied the allegation of collecting money against him. “Some vested quarters might have been using my name to serve their own interests. I will look into the matter.”

He said it was not an official initiative of the DSCC. He made the move to check petty theft and entry of unwanted outsiders to the neighbourhood. CCTV cameras will be installed in the area soon, added the councillor.

Asked about the fund for implementing such security measures, Sayeed said: “I personally spent for it. I also received contributions from local big businesses.”

Eminent local government researcher Tofail Ahmed said collecting money through a personal initiative from traders and residents of a locality for implementing security measures is illegal on the part of a ward councillor. 

It is the duty of the police to ensure the security of people and businesses, said Md Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner (Motijheel zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Law enforcers will take action against any illegal activity if an aggrieved person filed a complaint with the police, he noted.   

BM Forman Ali, officer-in-charge of Motijheel Police Station, said they had not received any complaint against the councillor's move.  

Despite making repeated attempts, The Daily Star could not reach DSCC Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon over the phone for his comment. Both his personal staff and public relations officer said the mayor couldn't talk as he was “very busy”.

House owners' associations in some residential areas in the city over the last few months have put up such gates, apparently to check movement of unwanted people and traffic.

Leading urban planner Khondaker M Ansar Hossain, who ran an office in Lalmatia for nine years, said such gates are closed at night in an unplanned way, creating trouble for hassle-free movement of residents.

“Unplanned installation and operation of gates at entrances to roads can hardly guarantee the security of a locality,” he observed.