Rickshaws and other non-motorised vans have become frequent again on the city’s important roads where movement of rickshaws had previously been restricted.
Rickshaws became the dominant choice of urban commuters in the capital in recent months, as several spells of opposition-sponsored blockades and hartal programmes made rickshaws a relatively safe mode of travel compared to other public transports that were often torched.
Although the blockades have now been lifted and the city streets regained its usual volume of traffic, the concerned authorities are yet to make any effective move to remove rickshaws from the VIP roads.
The authorities of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Traffic Control Department have reportedly shown little interest in addressing the issue, while field-level police officials have allegedly been using the lapse of rules to make some extra income.
The Dhaka Tribune recently found rickshaw-pullers operating between Shahbagh and Science Laboratory intersection, and between Bangabandhu International Conference Centre and Bijoy Sarani – areas that are usually restricted for rickshaw movement.
Selim, a rickshaw-puller, said unlike previous times, no one stopped the rickshaws on the street anymore. Even if someone did stop the vehicles, access to the road was granted again for a toll of Tk10-15, he added.
With time, rickshaws have been growing as a traffic burden, with new rickshaws being added to the existing rickshaw fleet of the capital each year. These new vehicles are allegedly provided with illegal licences by an organised syndicate in the name of different rickshaw-van owners and workers association.
According to sources in these associations, around eight lakh rickshaws and vans have been using fake number plates to operate on city streets. However, there are only 87,000 valid licences issued for non-motorised vehicles in the capital city. Of them, 79,554 for rickshaws and 8,000 for vans.
Sources in the Dhaka City Corporation said the last time licences were issued was in the year 1986, and for reasons unknown, no new licences had been issued over the last 27 years. The syndicate was cashing in on the traffic control authorities’ inaction, the sources said.
Meer Rejaul Alam, joint commissioner (traffic) of the DMP, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had contacted different rickshaw-van owners and workers associations to get the actual figure of rickshaws and vans, but to no avail.
He however claimed that rickshaws operated on VIP roads only during hartals, adding that actions have been taken to secure the restricted areas from rickshaw movement.