Officials concerned at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) have been issuing fitness certificates to vehicles without properly following the inspection procedures set by the transport regulatory body itself.
Sources at the BRTA said there are at least 30 different tests that all vehicles have to pass in order to get certified for fitness. But most of the time the BRTA officials are only checking the colour of the vehicles’ bodies – and in case of some private cars, checking the engines – before issuing the certificates.
After the BRTA started a drive against unfit vehicles across the country, a huge number of vehicles has been gathering at the BRTA office in the capital’s Mirpur area in order to get certified and avoid getting picked up by the mobile courts. The number is rising every day, several BRTA officials told the Dhaka Tribune.
On a visit to the BRTA office on Thursday, this correspondent found a number of “agents” roaming around the office entrance, asking vehicle owners and drivers whether they needed some “help” in acquiring the fitness certificate.
One such agent approached this correspondent and said: “Sir, do you need fitness certificate for your vehicle? I can help you get it without hassle, for Tk500 only.”
Entering the premises, this correspondent found a good number of buses, mini-buses, cars, CNG-run autorickshaws and even a few law enforcers’ vehicles waiting in long queues to get fitness certificates.
However, though the privately owned buses were freshly painted, most of them were in poor condition inside. Despite that, the buses seemed to pass the inspection without much difficulties.
Further investigation revealed that the agents had worked out a system with the BRTA officials inspecting the vehicles.
One such vehicle, a pick-up with faded body colour, got in front of the line. When one of the inspectors checked the vehicle and declared it unfit, an agent standing behind the inspector said: “Sir, I know the driver. Please give him the certificate.”
Interestingly, that pick-up got certified without further inspection.
When this correspondent asked the inspector why he had let the unfit vehicle pass, the inspector demanded to know who was asking.
When this correspondent provided identification, the inspector said: “I do not have the authority to speak to press. If you have any queries, you can contact the assistant director.”
Before listening to the inspector’s advice, this correspondent approached the pick-up driver and asked how he had gotten his previously declared unfit vehicle certified.
Requesting anonymity, the driver said he had paid Tk500 to the agent who had spoken for him.
“I was in the line for an hour, and the BRTA officials said my vehicle was old and would not get certified. So I got help from the agent,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
This correspondent then contacted Shafiquzzaman Bhuiyan, assistant director of BRTA Mirpur Zone, who denied the allegations.
“I have been periodically monitoring the inspection process. Our inspectors and vehicle experts are properly checking the vehicles before issuing the fitness certificates,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
This is not the first time that allegations of irregularities have been brought up against the BRTA. Many reports and studies by different local and foreign organisations have claimed the prevalence of corruption at the transport regulatory body.
According to a recent World Bank study, the BRTA takes bribes for issuing driving licenses, blue books, registration numbers and fitness certificates, and to provide timely service.
A portion of the funds collected goes to senior BRTA management, and to political and transport association leaders, the study report said.
In addition to these examples, where bus owners, drivers and staff are the victims of corruption, these actors also engage in proactive corrupt practices themselves.
Mini-bus staff are given early warnings from BRTA – for a price – about when mobile courts will come into action, and the illegal, extra seats are taken out of the bus for the duration.
