Illegal toll collection from auto-rickshaws

In the name of Bangladesh Auto-bike Sramik League Kalyan Society, a group of local influential people are allegedly collecting illegal tolls from CNG-run auto-rickshaws at Ghior Bazar bus stand in Manikganj.

More than 300 auto-rickshaws operate on six different routes from the busy bazar in Ghior upazila, according to staffers and owners of the three-wheelers.

They alleged that they have to pay Tk 500 monthly and Tk 15 daily for each vehicle to some influential persons who have been collecting the money in the name of the society for the last two months.

You need to obtain a sticker from them to operate any auto-rickshaw on the route, said an auto-rickshaw driver. 

This reporter saw coloured sticker pasted on the windscreens of a number of auto-rickshaws while visiting the bazar area recently. 

The sticker read: “Bangladesh Auto-bike Sramik Kalyan Society; temporary office: Ghior, Manikganj”. Inside the sticker it is also written that the body is authorised by the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 

They are also collecting Tk 15 daily from each auto-rickshaw with a receipt which states that out of the amount, Tk 10 has been charged as donation for ‘labour welfare fund’ and the rest for supervisor and others. 

Talking to the owners and staffers of auto-rickshaws on those routes, it was learnt that an 11-member committee with Nazmul Alam as president, Manik Khan as vice president and Shahin Khan as general secretary was collecting the tolls. 

Not a single member of the committee is involved in the auto-rickshaw business, they alleged.

The committee was formed on the recommendation of Habibur Rahman Habib, president of upazila Awami League and chairman of the upazila parishad, and its general secretary Abdul Alam Mintu. 

Due to their influence, the members of the committee are collecting the extortion money, said the auto-rickshaw staffers and owners.

They further said without trade union certificate from the Labour Department, no organisation involved in the transport sector can collect money.  

Contacted, Nazmul Alam, president of Ghior upazila unit of the society, said they are taking Tk 10 per day for the welfare of the workers.  

However, its vice president Manik Khan admitted to have collected Tk 15 daily. 

He also said that they have charged Tk 200 for becoming its member. 

Communicated with upazila parishad chairman Habibur Rahman, he admitted to have recommended forming a committee. But when asked if the committee was authorised to collect toll, he said he was not aware of it.

However, Hanif Ali, a former Manikganj district unit general secretary of Sramik League, claimed that Bangladesh Auto-bike Sramik League Kalyan Society is a legitimate organisation and its Ghior unit can collect money for welfare fund only from its members. 

Rehaz Uddin, a driver of an auto-rickshaw, complained about the illegal toll collection to the Manikganj police superintendent, seeking remedy. The Daily Star has obtained a copy of the complaint submitted on January 12. 

On January 18, Police Superintendent Rifat Rahman Shamim, however, told this reporter that he was yet to receive any complaint in this regard. 

“If we get a complaint, we must take legal action,” he said.