Happy extortion

Extortionists, allegedly backed by some city corporation officials, have been collecting about Tk 1.5 lakh daily in illegal toll as "parking fees" from goods-laden vehicles entering Karwan Bazaar.

As part of its revenue collection, the city authorities charge highest Tk 10 an hour for the parking of a vehicle between 7:00am and 7:00pm. Parking is supposed to be free throughout the night, and trucks are excluded because they are allowed in the city only after 10:00pm.

But for the past few months, a gang of about 100 men have been extorting Tk 50 from each truck at night. CNG-run three-wheelers and rickshaw-vans are also forced to pay Tk 10 at the largest wholesale kitchen market in the capital.

After Ramadan began, they started charging double -- Tk 100 for trucks and between Tk 20 and 50 for 

auto-rickshaws and rickshaw-vans. They even extort money from hawkers and street vendors in and around Karwan Bazar areas.

The drivers, hawkers and vendors are given parking charge receipts, originally issued by the Dhaka North City Corporation, that do not have fees above Tk 10 printed on them.

On an average, about 700 trucks and pickups enter Karwan Bazar from different parts of the country every night.

The extortionists work round the clock to collect the "parking fees" from vehicles, said a trader, adding that a section of the city corporation officials were skimming off the extorted money.

"Putting up resistance is useless. They are organised and they are not shy about using their muscle," Shohag, a truck driver, told The Daily Star correspondent last week after he reached Karwan Bazar with his truckload of bananas from Jhenidah.

Visiting the area during the day and at night in the last few days, The Daily Star correspondents talked to 30 traders and as many drivers. They all claimed to have complained about the extortion to the city corporation several times in vain.

Asked, DNCC Zonal Executive Officer (Karwan Bazar) Pranab Kumar Ghose said it was the responsibility of law enforcers to take action against illegal toll collectors.

Last month, the DNCC collected Tk 55,000 in parking charges, he added.

Asked about the illegal toll collection, he said the money was being taken by extortionists.

DNCC officials said the job of parking fee collection was leased to Momtaz Enterprise owned by one Kazi Mustafa for Tk 8,99,900 for one year. The lease ended on February 22 but the DNCC has yet to call a fresh tender.

 Since the expiry of the lease, the DNCC itself is collecting the parking charge.

Those who are collecting the illegal toll are Mustafa's men, said traders at Karwan Bazar.

DNCC Office Assistant Abul Hossain has been overseeing the city authorities' collection since March.

Traders alleged that he got a fair cut of the money extorted by the gang, a charge he denied.

Mustafa, once a fruit wholesaler at Karwan Bazar, could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts over the past few days.

Contacted, Tejgaon Police Station Inspector Moshiur Rahman said he was aware that sometimes drivers were being "overcharged" for parking.

"But sometimes drivers willingly pay more for parking," he claimed.