Ignoring the High Court directives, locally made human hauliers – Nasimans and Karimans – have been operating on the highways in Jhenaidah and Chuadanga and Magura.
It is alleged that some dishonest policemen took money from the drivers to allow them to operate on the highways.
Contacted, some of the drivers of such vehicles on the Jhenaidah-Kushtia highway said most of them were driving the three wheelers by managing the policemen, and added that policemen considered their movement on highways on humanitarian ground.
Some other drivers alleged that the leaders of the transport workers union or local units had been collecting Tk200 per day when any of these vehicles ran on the highway.
The three-wheeler drivers said around 10,000 vehicles out of total 25,000 vehicles with shallow machine engines were operating on the highways.
The three wheelers gained the popularity as they were used to carry people and agricultural produce at a lower transport cost. Moreover, thousands of unemployed and poor family members were engaged in income generation activities investing minimum capital, the drivers said.
Rokanuzzaman Ranu, president of Jhenaidah Bus-Minibus Owners Association, alleged the government had created the environment when the three wheelers started their movement on highways, risking lives and property.
It was really a big challenge to stop them completely as it became the only means of their livelihood, Ranu said.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Superintendent of Police Altaf Hossain said majority of the locally made three-wheelers went off the roads because of police drives on the highways. Movement of the remaining vehicles would be stopped within few weeks, the SP said.