CNGs & traffic control
Photo: STAR
My wife and I (total age: 140 years) being a be-car couple usually do our rare visiting/shopping either by walking, rickshaw or CNG. Over the last two weeks, my wife's CNG has twice been accosted by a traffic cop who then grills both the driver and passenger with questions like “Where are you coming from and going, are you going by meter or paying extra?” as if the CNG drivers are the only ones making a little hay in the Bangladeshi sunshine! From long experience, and so as not to get embroiled in a three-sided altercation, my wife gives the driver a clean bill of health and is allowed to proceed. This is Stupidity No 1 will any passenger wish to be deprived of the services of a rare CNG after a long wait on the road? I have not been so accosted up to now, otherwise I could have given the cop a lecture on how mindless their own superiors and other traffic controllers are, because their own inane policies and directives are responsible for the chaotic traffic on Dhaka's roads. Stupidity No 2: Have the authorities fixed just fares for CNGs? NOT AT ALL!! No 3: Do the CNG owners charge a uniform rate or just exploit the drivers?. No 4: Who compensates them for the long hours they wait for gas? No 5: Who gives them protection against the muggers, hijackers & murderers? No 6. Do they not see the cops collect tolls from trucks and buses, so why blame them if passengers are made to pay a little extra? Do they not provide an essential service to destinations where rickshaws are forbidden?. No 7: Why have rickshaws (that carry 50% of Dhaka's passengers) been banned on many roads, to greatly increase the demand for CNGs?. No 8: Why have Dhaka's roads been flooded with Gas Guzzling Monstrosities, which occupy most of the road space, but carry a scant 1-2% passengers? No 9: Why more new CNGs are not being introduced to meet the demand, while nearly 150 more White Elephant GGMs clog Dhaka's roads every day? At present CNGs are the best substitute for rickshaws, i.e. for 50% of Dhakabashis. No 10: Is it the cops' duty, only to obstruct rickshaws and CNGs, while toadying up to the illegally parked cars on every road, street and lane and to salute the empty cars causing the massive jams seen every day everywhere? No 11: Recently CNGs' exits have been encased in steel, but will this save the driver and passengers from a determined armed mugger? Rather in case of an accident/cylinder burst, both are fated to be roasted to death. Progressive Governments and Ministries elsewhere acknowledge, collect and absorb the development wisdom printed in the letters columns in the media. In our country, however, the authorities are all--knowing and all-powerful and take pleasure in imposing anti-people policies with impunity. Traffic imbroglio is one such problem that can be solved to the satisfaction of all by just implementing existing traffic laws and procedures with some up-dating, but then who cares?
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