Drivers Violate Route Permit Conditions, Police Defend Taking Bribes
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
It is past 9 pm. For passengers heading to Sadarghat, the journey has become an uncertain prospect. Will the bus they boarded actually reach its destination, or will it stop before getting there? Most local buses operating on the Sadarghat route from Mirpur, Chandra, Savar and the Airport Road are turning back before reaching their final destination. Before arriving at the last stop, the buses are turning around at Golap Shah Mazar intersection in Gulistan. As soon as passengers are dropped off, preparations begin to make a U-turn.
The same thing often happens in the afternoon or evening as well. However, the situation mainly begins after 8 pm Ignoring traffic laws, drivers unload passengers and attempt to make a U-turn at the intersection. Traffic constables on duty put up a token resistance. Immediately afterward, the bus conductor or the driver’s assistant, commonly known as a helper, approaches the constable and slips a Tk 50 note into his hand. Every conductor or helper already knows how much money needs to be paid. Once the money is received, the traffic constable helps the buses make the U-turn with ease. From there, they begin picking up passengers again for the return trip.
Mohammad Farhad had boarded an Azmeri Glory Paribahan bus from Gazipur. His destination was Sadarghat Launch Terminal, from where he was supposed to travel to Barishal. He had two heavy bags with him. But upon reaching Gulistan, the conductor forced him to get off. With frustration, Farhad told Agamir Somoy, “I paid the fare all the way to Sadarghat, but they dropped me off in Gulistan. When I asked for Tk 10 back, the conductor didn’t even return that. Now I’m standing in the crowd with all this luggage waiting for a rickshaw.”
The same thing happened to Swarna Das, an employee of a private company. Although she had boarded the bus in Badda to go to Ray Shaheb Bazar, she was dropped off in Gulistan. Swarna said, “After work, I don’t have the energy to change buses. I boarded the bus so I could go directly in front of my house, but being forced to get off halfway has put me in serious trouble. Taking a rickshaw through Nawabpur is also risky; there was a mugging incident there just a few days ago.”
Several passengers said that it is not only on this route; buses on several other routes also pick up passengers claiming they will go to the final destination, only to stop short later. As a result, passengers face security concerns and various forms of suffering.
Transport workers are offering weak justifications for dropping passengers off midway. They cite traffic congestion and pressure from freight vehicles on Sadarghat Road as excuses. Mohammad Nayeem, a conductor of a Victor Classic Paribahan bus, defended the practice by saying, “Passenger numbers drop when we come to these areas, so sometimes we don’t want to go any farther. However, if passengers pay the full fare, we return the money later if they ask for it.”
However, a driver of an Azmeri Glory Paribahan bus, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed the real picture. He said, “At night, the road from Gulistan to Sadarghat becomes packed with transport vehicles (heavy goods carriers). There is traffic congestion on the road every night. A journey that normally takes 15 minutes can sometimes take more than an hour.”
“If we go to the final stop, we also have to sit in line for a long time. That causes us losses. So, we slip Tk 50 into the constable’s hand and turn the bus around from Gulistan,” the driver added.
The traffic constables on duty offered a strange defense of the irregularity. Over several days recently, this reporter observed buses making illegal U-turns in exchange for money at Golap Shah Mazar intersection in Gulistan between 8 pm and 11 pm. Traffic constables including Mujibur and Nadiruzzaman, along with several others, were seen supervising traffic control. At times they were strict, but moments later they became lenient.
Many buses belonging to Azmeri Glory, Savar Paribahan, Tanzil Paribahan, Victor Classic and Bihanga Paribahan were seen making U-turns at Golap Shah Mazar intersection instead of going to their final destinations. The highest number of buses turning around belonged to Victor Classic and Azmeri Glory. Conductors of those buses got off and walked directly to the traffic constables, slipping a Tk 50 note into their hands or pockets. In return, they were allowed to turn their vehicles around.
When asked about the irregularity, Constable Nadiruzzaman at first denied taking money, but later offered an unusual explanation. He said, “We’re not telling anyone ourselves to turn around. The drivers are the ones insisting. You can see how the helpers are pressuring us; we’re not doing anything on our own.”
Under traffic laws, however, it is the responsibility of police to take action against vehicles making such turns without route permits.
Questions about the matter were also put to Mahmudul Hasan, Assistant Police Commissioner (Fulbaria Zone) of the Traffic Lalbagh Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). He said they occasionally receive such complaints. But later, when officers go there, they cannot find the complainant. And the person taking the money will never admit it.
What the Law Says
Under Sections 28 and 77 of the Road Transport Act, 2018, violating route permit conditions and turning a vehicle around before reaching its designated destination is punishable by up to three months in prison or a fine of Tk 20,000. In addition, accepting illegal gratification or bribes by traffic police is a direct criminal offense.
When asked about taking money, Assistant Police Commissioner Mahmudul Hasan said, “When the roads are empty, they sometimes allow the vehicles to turn around. Some constables may take advantage of that opportunity.”
Victims have called for swift administrative action against the misconduct of constables and for an end to the harassment faced by nighttime passengers on this important route in the capital.
