Extortionists have become active once again in the country's transportation, wholesale markets and even footpaths as transport company owners and political leaders allegedly started forcibly collecting tolls in Dhaka as elsewhere across the country.
The power shift has also introduced new actors into the scene of extortion. Illegal occupation of footpaths by hawkers has turned these public spaces into hotbeds of extortion, with the name of BNP leaders and even hawkers' associations collecting fees in the name of "renting" them.
In places like Karwan Bazar, a major wholesale market in Dhaka, the change in power has not ended the practice of extortion but has simply replaced the collectors.
A vendor in Gulistan told The Daily Observer while the Awami League has changed, the situation for small traders remains the same. "Previously, Awami League members collected daily tolls, now it's BNP collect extortion money.
In Karwan Bazar, several groups, collect tolls from trucks delivering vegetables at night. These groups also decide who can operate in the area, demanding weekly or monthly payments. In other parts of the city, BNP activists have taken over offices previously held by AL leaders.
Previously leaders and activists of the Awami League, its affiliated organisations, and some law enforcement members used to collect illegal extortion fees from around 300,000 footpath shops in the capital. The fall of the Awami League government led to the collapse of these extortion syndicates. While some new gangs under the name of BNP are actively re-establishing extortion operations,, according to sources.
In Karwan Bazar, the city's largest wholesale vegetable market, the vendors face multiple layers of payments to sell vegetables here, impacting the price at the retail end. Jubo League leader Lokman previously controlled extortion in Karwan Bazar but following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, new gangs have emerged under the banner of BNP to take over the extortion cartel.
Footpath vendors and hawkers in the Gulitsan area, numbering between 250,000 and 300,000, used to pay Tk 150 to Tk 200 daily as extortion money. Some BNP supporters have even taken over household garbage collection responsibility in the city that was previously Awami League activists' money making pursuit.
As top AL leaders fled the country and grassroots activists went into hiding, BNP supporters have not only taken over administrative roles but also seized control of the ground-level operations. With the change in power, there has been a shift in the waste collection management of Dhaka.
After key leaders of the AL and its affiliated organisations went into hiding, BNP activists have taken over the task of collecting waste from households across the city's wards. In some wards, the jobs that were previously occupied illegally have been reclaimed by the appointed contracting firms.
After the fall of Awami League regime on August 5, although the BNP took control over Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association instead of AL on August 14 through forming a convening committee, police started taking tolls in the first week of September, according to industry insiders, including transport owners.
After the fall of AL regime, BNP youth wing Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leaders and activists were reportedly collecting rent from owners and even those running businesses AC and Non-AC buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, they said.
In Dhaka city, people started collecting tolls for allowing to ply each Leguna. On the Section to Gabtoli route each Leguna has to pay Tk 400 as they had to pay Tk 1,500 during the authoritarian Sheikh Hasina regime, according to several Leguna drivers. Bus owners said that companies were taking money from each Dhaka city service and long route buses from bus owners in the name of gate pass popularly known as GP.
They said that if the GPs were not taken, the fare of buses would come down significantly and did not have to depend much on fuel oil prices.
Abdur Rahaman, who has been working as a driver's assistant for the past five years in Dewan Paribahan, said they got the money after providing money to the owner, on oil and GP money. 'The bus company did not give us money for working in the sector. We have to earn our money after running buses on roads and the portion was taken from bus owner,' said Emon.
Abdur Rahim, driver of Dewan Paribahan said they had to give Tk 800 as GP per day during the AL government while Tk 200 for launching e-ticketing.
VIP Paribahan has 120 buses and the company takes Tk 500 as GP from each bus, amounting Tk 60,000 per day every day. During the AL regime every city service buses had to pay Tk 110 to the Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity, bus owners said that they had to pay from Tk 80 to Tk 100 for each bus to the same samity.
Meanwhile, bus owners and transport workers alleged that collecting money in the name of the road transport group and motor shramik union continued like previously.
Wishing anonymity, several transport workers claimed that nothing except a change of hands has occurred after the fall of the autocratic government on August 5.
