A rise in extortion on four key roads in Kurigram ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr has added to the woes of both traders and people.
Rampant street extortion prevails at 38 points, including the four roads, as police have also been said to be involved in the practice.
Extortionists are charging more because of Eid which has forced traders to raise goods’ prices. Consequently, the consumers are bearing the brunt of the uncontrolled extortion, which the local administration allegedly overlooks.
Five organisations, including the police, have been said to be involved in extortion in nine upazilas.
According to transport owners, they pay around Tk60 lakh a month in extortion and the amount would cross the crore mark in Ramadan.
Of the local transports operating in the district, nearly 100 minibuses pay Tk200-500 each, 150 long-route buses Tk1,000, 300 trucks Tk500-700, 300 microbuses Tk300, 200 pickup vans Tk100, 150 tractors Tk150, 400 trolleys Tk100, and 150 rented motorcycles pay Tk100 each to traffic police in extortion. Any truck, covered van or pickup van from outside the district has to pay Tk100.
Besides, there are more than 1,500 autobikes, tempos and human haulers, locally known as bhotbhoti, running in the district that also pay extortion.
The key extortion points are located on Kurigram-Rangpur road, Kurigram-Chilmari road, Kurigram-Bhurungamari road, Kurigram-Razarhat road, Razarhat-Ulipur road, Nageshwari-Fulbari road, and Raumari-Rajibpur road. All the vehicles are forced to pay money to different organisations while they cross the points.
“To cross each point, we have to pay. Otherwise, the vehicles are vandalised, and we are often subjected to mental and physical harassment. We need to pay to illegal organisations in order to make money to feed our families,” said Nurunnabi, a driver in Ulipur.
Hakim, another driver in Nageshwari, said the money is charged in the name of welfare of owners and drivers but they have no idea how the money is spent.
“I have been a driver for two years. I have never seen any office of the organisations that collect money. I do not know if they do anything other than collecting the money,” he said.
Mojibur Rahman, who collects toll in the name of local municipality, said he collects Tk250-300 from vehicles every day but does not know how the money is spent.
“We have to pay toll at eight points to drive mango-laden pickup vans from Rangpur to Kurigram. Of those, four are in Kurigram city alone. Amid such a situation, we have no way but to raise the prices,” said Aminur, a fruit trader.
There are many traders like Aminur who bring fish, vegetables and a range of other goods to the district from outside, and they have to pay a lot in extortion. This compels them to increase the prices to make up for the additional money they pay to extortionists.
Preferring anonymity, a motor vehicle owner said it is not a secret that the local administration works in collusion with extortionists.
“If you have a transport, you have to pay toll. We the owners seem to be the hostages of police, goons and extortionists,” he said.
Superintendent of Police in Kurigram Sanjay Kumar Kundu denied allegations of unchecked extortion throughout the district, saying he knew nothing.
“I have no information on involvement of traffic police in extortion. As for extortion in the name of organisations, we will take stern action if we get concrete proof,” he added.