Brokers continue with their illegal business in Bangladesh Road Transport Authority offices at Mirpur and Ekuria in managing vehicle certificates as the punishment for such acts is not adequate.
Even no punitive measure is now being taken against such brokers due to inadequate punishment for such acts.
Mohammad Monir Hossain, who is in charge of the Ansar members at the authority’s office at Mirpur, said that as per an order issued by a deputy director of the authority, any broker held by the Ansar members is now released after taking an undertaking from the person.
According to the records at the office, 55 brokers were held between January 2 and March 25 and they were released after they had given such undertakings.
Monir Hossain said that earlier they used to hand over the detained brokers to the Kafrul police, but the new order was issued as the detained brokers used to get released from courts paying a fine of Tk 150 only.
Kafrul police station duty officer on Friday said that usually the police sent the detained brokers to court under Section 84 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976 on charge of trespassing on the authority’s premises and the courts released them realising a fine of Tk 150 as per the law.
The director (enforcement) of the authority, Mohammad Moshiar Rahman, however, said that they were regularly operating mobile courts against brokers.
Asked about releasing brokers after taking undertakings, he said that he was not aware of it.
Brokers should be placed before the magistrate of the authority, he said.
Delay and harassment in getting vehicle fitness certificates from the authority also contribute to the continuation of brokering, many people said.
Brokers offered to obtain for this correspondent a vehicle fitness certificate without even having to bring the car – a process that one broker said would taken even less time than if the car had been brought.
‘If you do not bring your vehicle I can get fitness certificate within an hour but if you bring the vehicle you will get the certificate in two or three hours,’ said a broker at the Mirpur office who gave his name as Mohammad Monir.
‘After getting your papers you can pay me whatever you wish,’ Monir said speaking from a corner inside the office premises.
‘I am not a BRTA employee but I have to continue this work for my livelihood,’ he added.
Sohel, another broker outside the office, sought Tk 2,500 to manage the fitness certificate.
At the BRTA office in Ekuria, there was a similar situation.
One broker called Masum demanded Tk 1,500 for providing a certificate within an hour whilst another broker Majedul asked the reporter to pay him after the work.
Many people were seen brokering within the transport authority’s offices at Mirpur and Ekuria and openly approaching those seeking a service from the office.
Mirpur office deputy director (engineering) Sirajul Islam said that two to three motor vehicle inspectors were manually checking about 500 to 700 vehicles for fitness every day at the office.
‘The brokers take the opportunity of this situation,’ he said. ‘We have applied for more manpower at this office.’
Sirajul admitted that sometimes the brokers managed to obtain genuine papers from the office.
‘Maybe the brokers get help from inside the office.’
The authority operates a mobile team, comprising Ansars, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Rapid Action Battalion forces, in order to arrest the brokers, the deputy director said.
‘We also hang notice boards at two places to make service seekers aware that they should not use brokers,’ he added.
A senior official at the authority’s office at Ekuria said that time to time they also operated mobile courts to arrest brokers.
‘We also sat up three Close Circuit Television cameras at this office to observe their activities,’ he said.
The platoon commander of the Ansar forces at the office, Mohammad Faruque Alam, claimed that tyranny of brokers was less at this office than the office at Mirpur.
About a month ago 18 brokers had been caught by a mobile court and they were jailed, he added. (Source)
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