Tejgaon truck stand occupied again, daily income of Tk1.5 lakh

The capital's Tejgaon truck stand has once again fallen under the control of reckless occupants. Local influential people have been accused of extorting about Tk 1.5 lakh every day through these illegally set up truck parking lots.

Visiting the spot, it was found that certain groups are controlling every entrance of the truck stand to collect illegal extortion. They collect Tk 140 from parked trucks and covered vans every day in three slips. The same amount of money is also being taken from the cars on the road.

Sources said 'Kala Nirob' forcibly extracted this extortion from about 1200 cars parked in a row on both sides of the road. There is a record of murder cases against this Kala Nirob in three police stations of the capital - Badda, Mohammadpur and Jatrabari.

Contacted over the phone, Nirob told the Views Bangladesh that the cases filed against him are conspiratorial. When asked about the extortion, he disconnected the phone without giving a clear statement.

A driver, who asked not to be named, said, "We are forced to pay money every day. No one can say anything, even the police know, but no action is taken."

A leader of the Tejgaon Truck Owners' Association said, “This is a long-standing problem. The administration sometimes launches eviction drives, but after a few days, they are occupied again. Our truck drivers are facing extreme suffering.”

While visiting the truck stand in Tejgaon area, the Views Bangladesh spoke to the truck owner Md Kabir. He said, “Although they are supposed to collect money from the trucks parked at a specific place at the truck stand, they are also forcibly collecting money from the vehicles on the road. This is a complaint from all the drivers who park trucks and covered vans on the road.”

A female employee of Deepto TV, situated in the area, said, “Due to the irregular parking of the vehicles, sometimes it becomes time consuming to go to the office. It is also scary to travel on this road at night.”

Jiban, an employee of a private company in Tejgaon, said that the road has become a garage. “They are causing disruption by keeping the vehicles parked. On the other hand, they are doing repair work sitting on the road,” he said.

A senior official of Dhaka North City Corporation said, "We are conducting regular eviction drives, but the encroachers have occupied the spot again. Strict action will be taken in this regard."

Locals believe that this problem cannot be solved unless strict action is taken against the encroachers who are backed by the politicians.

Bashir Howlader, acting president of Bangladesh Truck and Covered Van Drivers Union, said, “We have spent our own money on repairing the stand with a capacity of 100 vehicles. As a result, a fee of Tk 100 has been unanimously charged for those who park their vehicles at the stand. However, there is no instruction to collect money from vehicles parked on the road.”

Md Tofazzal Hossain Majumdar, president of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Owners' Association, also echoed the same.

In this regard, Deputy Police Commissioner of Tejgaon Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Ibne Mizan, told the Views Bangladesh, “The plan to relocate the truck stand is underway. If any complaint of extortion is received regarding this, legal action will be taken. Moreover, the police are on the alert round the clock regarding any irregularities and crimes. The police are also working tirelessly to normalize traffic.”

Mentionable, Anisul Haque, the first mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, officially declared the Tejgaon truck stand free from parking. During Anisul Haque's lifetime, it was reoccupied. After his death, the surrounding areas of Tejgaon were completely occupied by parking vehicles.

Even former mayor Atiqul Islam did not succeed in making it free from parking despite various attempts.