Illegal battery-powered three wheelers, autos or battery-powered rickshaws are plying the alleys in the Cumilla metropolis from morning till midnight.
Thousands of illegal drivers ride these unauthorized vehicles across the city causing immense traffic snarl and frequent road accidents.
Commuters of the city blamed that the Cumilla City Corporation pays no heed to solve the crisis and said on-duty traffic police officials gaining financial profit by extorting fees from the illegal vehicles.
Seeking anonymity, some drivers of these illegal vehicles told Bangladesh Post that they have to pay one to two thousand taka daily to ply on the road. Traffic Police sergeant Nazrul extorts money under the Paduabazar flyover daily.
If drivers failed to bribe the police officials, their vehicles are being detained and later released after getting fines, they claimed.
The government and the city corporation has taken several steps control traffic congestion in the metropolis but they have not been implemented due to unknown reasons. And the city dwellers living in the city have to pay the compensation. Incompetent drivers are driving illegal machine monsters without a license. Most of them are from North Bengal.
Due to the reckless driving of these untrained drivers, the passengers and pedestrians of these vehicles are getting into small accidents every day in the city. Tender children and teenagers commuting to and from school and college are falling prey to traffic jams.
Several educational institutions in the city are in the heart of the busiest city. Ibn Tayyima High School and College with 6/7 thousand students, Cumilla Modern High School with 12/13 thousand students, Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Modern High School and Technical College where 3 to 3 and a half thousand students. 2000 students in Cumilla Commerce College. Nawab Faizunnesa Girls High School has 3 to 3 and a half thousand students. 5 thousand students in Cumilla district school. Cumilla Collectorate School and College has about one and a half thousand students. Cumilla Ajit Guha College has about 3 thousand students. Cumilla Board of Education School and College has 3 and a half to 4 thousand students. There are about 3 thousand students in Cumilla Government College. Cumilla Victoria Government College has about three and a half thousand students. There are two and a half thousand students in Shailrani Girls College. In addition, hundreds of kindergarten and primary school students are wasting one and a half to two hours a day in traffic jams due to illegal three wheelers and autorickshaws.
On the other hand, in this busiest city, there are about seven lakh upper citizens living. Again, CNG autorickshaws have been occupying the road day after day by setting up illegal stands on the road. One and a half to two lakh Tk is being collected from these vehicles every day.
Battery-powered easybikes, CNG autorickshaws, which are controlled by a class of workers under the umbrella of local political leaders and managing the administration, are increasing day by day.
Raisul Islam, an easybike driver from Rangpur region, said that they can earn better by driving CNG and easybike battery-powered rickshaws than selling their labor in Cumilla. No training is required in this profession. When a car is seized by the police, the owner releases it. He added that the administration is managed through the Staff Owners Association in exchange for a certain amount of money in the monthly contract. These vehicles were seized from time to time by conducting raids under the control of these vehicles. He was detained for a while and then released. Meanwhile, other vehicles have to take risks due to these illegal vehicles.
A number of residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reckless traffic was causing massive traffic jams on multiple roads. On the other hand, city dwellers are wasting time on the road.
They also blamed the indifference of the administration for not operating a mobile court to control them.
