More than 90% of passengers have to pay two to three times the fare to go home during Eid holidays.
Meanwhile, the government is busy pleasing the transport owners, said Secretary General of Jatri Kalyan Samity Mozammel Haque Chowdhury.
“Although the government announces it will take strict measures to stop extra fare collection every year during Eid holidays, they also hold Eid preparation meetings with the same stakeholders who impose the extra profit,” he said during a meeting over the increase in fare anarchy and road accidents during Eid Travels organised at Dhaka Reporters Unity today (10 June).
The Jatri Kalyan Samity secretary general claimed that regulatory agencies, transport owners, and labour unions are given the responsibility of stopping excessive fare collection, but they instead work together to cause fare anarchy.
“Even the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA] does not stop collecting extra fares, but asks passengers to pay the fare till the last destination of the route permit even if they travel short distances,” said Mozammel Haque Chowdhury.
Professor Robaet Ferdous of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University said that the minister of communication does not want to listen to civil society.
“He will not listen to what Centre for Policy Dialogue [CPD] is saying, what Transparency International Bangladesh [TIB] is saying.
“It is not possible to bring order anywhere if civil society is not heard,” he added.
“Accidents can be reduced to a great extent if the vehicle is fit. We can call it an accident if there is a mishap even after taking all precautions, but if there is a problem everywhere, it cannot be called an accident. It is a planned murder,” the DU professor said.
Journalist Abu Saeed Khan, Vice-President of Passengers’ Welfare Association Tawhidul Haque Liton, Joint Secretary General M Monirul Haque, Publicity Secretary Mahmudul Hasan Russell, member of the central committee Md Mohsin, and others were present at the meeting.
