Ruhul Amin, Rupganj (Narayanganj)

In Rupganj of Narayanganj, the tea peddling syndicate has become reckless . Locals said that tea hawking is going on under the leadership of ruling leader Balu Habib's younger brother Azabur in the Gandharbpur signboard area of the Rupsi-Kanchan road of the upazila .

Three times a day, these tea vendors publicly pick up this tea . If they refuse to pay tea, the car is vandalized and the transport tea lock is also beaten. Traders have to collect tea in trucks on this road every day from morning till night . Due to this, the prices of various products are increasing in the market .

It can be seen on the surface, if you go to the Gandharbpur signboard area on the Rupsi-Kanchan road of the upazila, it can be seen that Arif, son of Saheb Ali of Gantarbpur Dakshinpara area, Sujan, son of Panir and his brother Nannu, son of Zakir, are led by Azabur, the younger brother of ruling leader Balu Habib for 8/10 years. A group of 8/10 members including Ratan, Sohrab's son Shafiqul and Sohag from Kayetpara area are standing with sticks in hand.

As soon as the cargo truck reached, 2/3 people came in the middle of the road and stopped the truck and demanded Tk 300-500 . If you pay them as much money as you want, they will turn around in the cargo truck. Otherwise, the truck drivers are vandalized and beaten up . Traders have to collect tea in trucks on this road every day from morning till night .

It increases the price of various products. However, the local administration has not taken any legal action against them even though there is a directive from the High Court to stop peddling in goods vehicles on the road. This is the reason for the violence of tea sellers in this upazila day by day .

Truck cha lock Rajib said, we always travel from Narayanganj to Bogra via Rupsi-Kanchan road. Every truck driver like me has to pay Tk 200 to Tk 300 every time we travel through this road, night or day.

When we refused to pay tea , they broke our car windows. Even we are beaten. Sometimes their men forcefully enter our cars and take away the money from our pockets. In fact, we do not have anything to say.

Amir Hossain, a truck driver , said that one has to pay Tk 200 for tea on the Rupsi-Kanchan road. If the tea is not given, B takes away the tea from the truck. Beating again. They are inhumanely forced to pay money. We are helpless.

Truck cha lock Hannan said, we truck cha locks are very happy for the tea vendors here. If you go through this road, you have to pay 300 taka and some day 200 taka. The government has taken strict measures across the country to prevent tea hawking in cargo trucks and covered vans . But the administration did not take any action against the tea vendors.

Truck tea lock Mohammad Ali said, I am coming from Gazipur to take sugar from city mail . It takes 2/3 days to load the car here. If we keep a truck on the road here, we have to pay tea every day otherwise they beat us and bring money from home. They don't take tea below two hundred rupees. We don't even have money for food with their tea

In this regard, Rupganj Police Station OC Deepak Chandra Saha said, " We do not know that there is tea selling in trucks carrying goods on the Rupsi-Kanchan bypass road. If there is any such incident, we will definitely take legal action against the tea hawkers.

Rupganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahsan Mahmud Russell said, "Actually, I was not aware of this tea sale on the Rupsi-Kanchan road.

I came to know about this through you. However, legal action will be taken against whoever they are after looking into the matter of who they are or through whom they do this kind of tea peddling.