Price of CNG
Photo: STAR
The unexpected doubling of the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) had a ripple effect. It has increased the fares of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and cabs, which has consequently brought much suffering to the common commuters. Suddenly, commuting has become a lot more expensive. For a long period of time people who travelled by CNG-run three wheelers and cabs had suffered due to the drivers' indiscreet demand of additional fares. Moreover, most of these auto-rickshaws and cabs are too choosy in terms of destination and are reluctant to go to certain places in the city. Although, there are meter-readers in every cab and precise laws regarding its operation, often the helpless passengers are left with no choice but to pay an additional 10-20 taka (occasionally double the actual fare), if they want to reach their destination in time. The scarcity of CNG-run three wheelers and taxis makes matters even worse. Only a poor commuter who regularly travels by auto-rickshaws actually knows how difficult it is to get an auto-rickshaw at the peak hour that will take him to his preferred destination at a fair fare! And it seems the authorities had never taken effective measures to stop these irregularities, which inevitably caused much distress to the general public. We hope, now the situation will improve. Since, we will have to pay an incredible sum to commute we will be protected from such unwanted harassments and more well organised supervision by the government will be ensured for the sake of the general masses. As a citizen, I can offer the following suggestions: A centrally administered “complaint centre” can be established where law enforcers and cab owners will co-operate closely. This centre must ensure effective monitoring and it must be able to take prompt actions against the culprits There should be simple and easily traceable numerical codes (and phone no.) in every CNG run auto-rickshaw and cab. The commuters will be asked to quote these codes in their respective complaints. Although similar codes have been used, they haven't proven to be effective enough. The new codes should be difficult (almost impossible) to be removed and must be conspicuously noticeable to the commuters. More Rab checkpoints should be established at key spots which will be given special instructions to counteract irregularities. The fines for violating the laws should be raised and the culprits should confront strict penalties including long-term imprisonment and permanent invalidation of driving licence. A functional database, that'll contain the records of the vehicles and drivers, should be established. Moreover, efficient software tools can be used to organise and retrieve the needed records.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments