SM Jahirul Islam, Sreepur (Gazipur)

The number of battery-powered autorickshaws is increasing day by day on the roads in Sreepur Upazila in Gazipur.

The 13-kilometer area of Sreepur on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway has become unsafe due to these three-wheelers. Pedestrians have to move with the fear of accidents. Local people say that no steps are being taken to control the dominance of autorickshaws on the roads. The upazila residents have demanded effective measures to be taken as soon as possible to save people from this suffering, accidents and to restore safety and order on the roads. Several auto drivers admitted that we pay monthly toll.

There are allegations that the police will file cases if we do not pay the toll. For our safety, the highway police have to charge 7 to 10 thousand taka monthly. In that 13-kilometer section of the highway, vans are set up shops on the sidewalk and occupy the highway. There are also allegations of daily extortion from those floating vans.

There are also allegations of dishonest policemen and local journalists being involved in these with the direct cooperation of the officer-in-charge (OC) of Maona Highway Police Station Ayub Ali. Each auto-rickshaw driver has to pay 5,000 taka to the syndicate members on the basis of monthly payment. During the drive, the drivers of the auto-rickshaws who are plying on the highway without a monthly contract through the syndicate are identified and harassed by filing fabricated cases.

Despite the High Court ban on the movement of three-wheelers on the highway, these vehicles are constantly seen in Sreepur on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. In addition to three-wheelers on the road, the reckless speed of various heavy vehicles including long-distance passenger buses, unfit vehicles and inefficient drivers are increasing the number of deaths on the road, the highway has become a death trap. Recently, auto-rickshaws have increased on various important roads in Sripur. These auto-rickshaws do not require any legality to be manufactured. These auto-rickshaws are being manufactured in several workshops in Sripur.

Big cars are plying on the highway alongside CNG, auto-rickshaws and battery-powered rickshaws. Although the Highway Police is conducting operations against other vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles are moving in front of the police. Three-wheeled vehicles are plying in the busiest areas of Sripur upazila on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, such as Gargaria Masterbari, Maona Crossroads, MC Bazar, Nayanpur, and Jainabazar. On the other hand, Taqwa, Champion, and highway minibuses are picking up and dropping off passengers anywhere on the highway. Traveling in these four-wheeled vehicles is also quite risky.

Compared to before, there are now a large number of auto-rickshaws (three-wheelers) on various important roads in Sripur, increasing to such an extent that cars cannot be driven on any road. Even if I drive a car every day, I have to suffer the loss of one thousand taha income. Sometimes, I cannot even pay the rickshaw owner's deposit of 400 taha daily. Abdul Jabbar, an autorickshaw driver from Lohagach area of Sreepur, said these things with anger.

A CNG driver who did not want to be named said, three-wheelers are banned on the highway. But, for the sake of his life, he goes to collect fares at the risk of his life. If the highway police seize CNG, they do not let him go easily. I often hear that three-wheelers will not be allowed on the highway. Occasionally, law enforcement agencies, especially the highway police, go on a campaign. Even after that, I see these vehicles plying on the highway. That is why I also use the highway to pick and drop passengers.

Fahad, a seventh-grade school student, said, it is very difficult for us to walk to school on the road. Many times, they push us against our bodies. My school dress was torn after hitting the autorickshaw.

Babul Mia, a local resident of the Maona intersection area, said that due to the reckless speed of auto-rickshaws, they have to cross the road with fear. Even when they signal with their hands while crossing the road, auto-rickshaw drivers do not stop their speed. This causes minor accidents and injuries every day.

Nurul Islam, an auto-rickshaw driver from C&B area No. 2 of Sripur, said, "I have been driving auto-rickshaws in Sripur for five years. The sudden increase in auto-rickshaws is beyond imagination. Due to the increase in auto-rickshaws, it is taking half an hour to travel a 10-minute route. Due to this, passengers are not able to reach their destinations on time, and income has also decreased a lot.

Talking to people, it is learnt that about five thousand battery-powered auto-rickshaws are plying on various roads in the upazila. Since these vehicles and drivers are not registered and trained, they are taking auto-rickshaws on the highway at will. Traffic jams are being created due to these rickshaws being parked haphazardly on the roads.

At the Maona intersection, we spoke to Jasim Uddin (22), an autorickshaw driver from Chakpara area. He said, I learned to drive an autorickshaw 15 days ago from an elder brother in the area. Although it was difficult at first, I can drive it well now.

School teacher Shahjahan said, autorickshaws are plying uncontrollably on the busiest roads of the upazila headquarters. The administration should take note of this and take action. Battery-powered autorickshaws are now a thorn in the side of the upazila residents. Sreepur and Maona intersections have become autorickshaw towns. Autorickshaws are everywhere on the roads and highways. The government is losing revenue because these vehicles do not have any valid documents.

A workshop owner, who asked not to be named, said, "If they stop importing autorickshaw parts, they will no longer be manufactured." If the government asks workshops to stop manufacturing autorickshaws, we will stop.

A workshop owner in the Rangila Bazar area on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway said, "We don't just take orders from customers to make auto-rickshaws. We make them according to their preferences. If they run them on the road without permission, we will