Extortion has become rampant in all bus terminals across the capital ahead of Eid, despite repeated assurances from the government and police officials that they would put an end to it.
Some individuals have been extorting money from the bus owners by referring to it as "festival bonus." Buses plying across the city and different intercity routes often face these troublemakers.
If anybody declines to cough up the money demanded, harassment and violent attacks follow.
Bus owners pay around Tk500-Tk800 for a bus every day, to ensure smooth running of their vehicles and the "fee" has doubled ahead of every Eid.
During auspicious occasions extortionists realise around Tk30m a day from different places across the country including the capital, sources said.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority statistics in 2012, there were a total 1,47,000 vehicles which comprised of buses, minibuses and trucks in the country.
A bus driver of Isakhan bus service said he had to pay Tk300 to route committee men, Tk50 to Dhaka City Corporation (south) men, and Tk30-Tk40 to off-duty transport workers to leave the Sayedabad bus terminal.
He added that he paid Tk320 to the gang of extortionists for every trip from the terminal.
The route committee also collects Tk400 monthly from every bus owner for using the terminal and an additional Tk200-Tk300 in the name of tips or festivals bonus.
Sources said Tk5,00,000-Tk6,00,000 was collected from the Sayedabad terminal alone on normal days, while the toll figures double before Eid. Mohammad Tofael Hossain, secretary to Isakhan bus service route committee said the money was collected to pay wages to the employees who ran the ticket counters, and bus supervisors and linesmen, and also to meet the cost of printing tickets.
Tofael added that he had to pay a certain amount of money to different gangs to ensure the safety of buses inside the terminal.
About the toll collection ahead of Eid, he said these young thugs lived on extortion.
"Where would these people go if the bus staff did not give them some bonus during Eid?" he queried.
Like regular extortionists, highway police, and the city corporation officials collected additional tolls from the bus terminals.
Golam Sarwar, assistant manager of Dhaka City Corporation (South) at the Sayedaba, said: “We take Tk40 from each bus to pay the sweepers, electricity and sewerage bills, and provide seating arrangements for passengers at the bus stations.
"We give receipts against the collection of money," he said.
Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samiti, parent organisation of bus owners and a government-recognised association, fixed Tk70 as daily service charge for each bus.
According to sources, around 3,000 buses from about 80 bus companies ply on different routes in the city.
Staff of the bus companies said bus counters at Fulbaria, Mirpur, Farmgate, Azimpur, Mohammadpur and Khilgaon areas usually paid more money as toll than other areas.
They said the bus owners had to pay around Tk480 daily for each bus at Fulbaria, Tk280 at Mohakhali, Tk380 at Gabtoli and Tk200 in Victoria Park area, but during Eid an additional Tk200 was added to the regular "tolls."
However, Khondokar Enayet Ullah Khan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Union, refuted the allegation that such tolls were collected.
He told the Dhaka Tribune that their workers and staff would never be involved in any kind of extortion and claimed that they were working hard for the welfare of staff.
Enamul Haque, vice-president of Bangladesh Covered Van Owners'
Association, said the toll collection on highways ahead of Eid started after 15th Ramadan and they had to pay Tk1200 in some 12 spots on the way from Chittagong to Dhaka.
According to sources, toll was also being collected by constables and inspectors of highway police.
Extortion is also widespread in southern parts of the country including Arial Kha, Faridpur, Bhanga, Hasar, Nimtoli, Kaliganj areas while police allegedly collect toll from vehicles at the entrances to the capital city in Babubazar, Aminbazar, Postagola, Gazipur and Demra.
In this regard, Hassan Mahmood Khandker, inspector general of police, said they had already taken initiatives to stop extortion at the bus terminals and had given an order to highway and district police to arrest the listed extortionists.
He further warned that if anyone was found or involved in extortion, stern action would be taken against them.
