During the Awami League-led government, road extortion was politically motivated. Apart from this, there were cases of extraction of money through anonymous subscription slips all over the country. The most extortion was on inter-divisional roads and highways. Toll money was added to the transportation cost of various products. As a result, the product price would increase and go beyond the purchasing power of the buyer.
But now the Awami League government has been deposed. The road scene has changed. No more extortion on the road! The price of transportation fuel has also decreased. But what are the benefits of ordinary consumers? Has the price of everyday goods decreased?
This reporter visited the market with those questions. Inquiries were made in the concerned circles. He knew that the image of the market of daily necessities has not changed. Prices of daily commodities have not decreased. Even though the cost of road transport is reduced, the daily necessities have to be bought at high prices. As a result, there was no change in the fate of the common people.
So the question arises, why is the price of daily necessities not decreasing in the market even if the cost of transportation is reduced? Looking for an answer to that question, it was found that even though the country's political landscape has changed, the power of the syndicate has not changed. The anarchy of the market is still there. Nothing has changed.
Even if there is no presence of extortionists on the roads, the daily commodity market is still held hostage by the business syndicate. As a result, the price is not coming under control. However, according to the National Consumer Rights Organization, which works on the rights of consumers, there is a regular campaign to control the price of goods. However, common buyers do not see any effect in the market.
On Sunday (September 15) from 10:00 PM to 12:30 PM, this reporter visited Karwan Bazaar in the capital and spoke to vegetable truck drivers. It was raining outside. The work of unloading vegetables from trucks and pick-up vans was going on in the rain. As the night goes on, it gets busier and more crowded. As soon as the trucks and pickup vans of various products including vegetables from different parts of the country arrived, the work of unloading the products started from them.
In the meantime, talk to the truck drivers and workers. They said, now there is no case of collecting any kind of toll from the vegetable vehicle.
Salim brought a truck of vegetables from Chapainawabganj. When asked about the extortion on the road, he said that now there is no need to pay any extortion on the road.
"Earlier, he used to take money from whoever he could. If the transport was stopped, the toll was to be paid. He used to pay a subscription of Tk. 200 to Tk. 500,' he said.
He used to bring a stick in his hand. He would break the glass only if he did not agree to pay the toll. The price of this glass is Tk. 7 thousand. Now, for these two or three hundred takas, someone wants to break the glass of Tk. 7 thousand? On reaching the Karwan Bazar, one had to pay a contribution of Tk. 300 to the city corporation, now that contribution is not required. Police were also on the road. They also had to pay subscriptions. Even the police are no longer taking subscriptions.
When asked to get an estimate of how much money he used to pay in toll before reaching Dhaka from Chapainawabganj, this truck driver said, Tk. 800 to Tk. 1000 was required for every trip.''
Md. Billal Hossain came to Karwan Bazar in the capital with a pickup full of vegetables from Ghazaria in Munshiganj. He also told Barta24.com that there is no need to pay toll anymore.
However, he said that the toll plaza works very slowly, "They work slowly, so there is a jam, it takes more time."
Billal said that it takes more than two hours to cross the two toll plazas.
And Salim informed about the nuisance of Tokai. They immediately get into the truck and cut the tarpaulin or net covering the product and take the vegetables or any product. According to Selim, their nuisance is increasing due to lack of strong police patrolling on the roads.
When asked about the donation, Billal said, "Earlier, the fair money was used to be paid. As soon as the vehicle was put in the Karwan Bazar, a subscription of Tk. 300 was to be paid in the name of the city corporation. The whole road was there. Four places had to be paid to come this far on the road. Tk. 30 per place means total Tk. 120. And wherever the police caught you, you had to pay Tk. 150. He would hand over three or four tickets and take the subscription. Besides this meeting, that meeting, this league-that league, means there was no end to the subscription.
Saheb Ali has come to Karwan Bazar market with a truck of green chillies from Satkhira. When asked about extortion, he said that no extortion is being paid anywhere now.
When asked what kind of toll was required to come to Dhaka earlier, he said, earlier one had to pay the toll when leaving Satkhira by car. After that, contributions were made in many places including Dhaka via Khulna, Jashore, Faridpur. Now there is nothing, no trouble. Even the police do not seem to have been paid.
Ramzan Ali brought a truckload of different types of vegetables from Jashore's Satmile to Dhaka's Karwan Bazar. He told Barta24.com, "Earlier, you would have to go crazy to pay the toll on the road. And now there is no toll on the road.
In addition to the reduction in extortion, the price of oil for transportation of goods has also decreased slightly. But it also has no effect on transport fares. The people concerned are talking about the violence of the syndicate there as well.
When asked about the fare for a pickup from Gazaria in Munshiganj to Dhaka, Billal said that earlier the fare was Tk. 3500. Still the same fare.
The price of oil has decreased, why the rent has not decreased? In response to such a question, he said that only the owner can tell. However, this driver claims that the price of oil has decreased by only two takas. He said that the price of oil was 60 to 65 takas per liter. That oil jumped to 90 taka. From there again 115 taka. Then the price came down to 109 taka. From that, it has come to 105 taka again.
However, there is also a difference of opinion about fare among the drivers. The truck driver from Satkhira said that the fare has reduced a bit now. He came from Satkhira on fare of Tk. 18 thousand which was Tk. 22 to 24 thousand.
"Now goods are less, veghicles are more, so the fare is less," said this driver.
This reporter went to Karwan Bazar again the next day on Monday (16 September) to see on the ground that there would be no extortion in transport, and that the effect of falling oil prices would be on commodity prices. On this day he talked with several buyers. A shopper named Rabbi looked very disappointed. He told Barta 24.com, "Everyone is saying that the country has become independent again. In fact, the country is independent in name. Do you see the influence of the independent here? Yes, I heard that there is no extortion on the road, but has that effect on the market? Has anything dropped in price? The price of nothing has fallen!'
In fact, our country is a hostage to businessmen. Whatever they say will happen. So I don't see any difference between these freedoms,' said the disappointed buyer.
Another buyer named Md. Fazlu said that the price of any item in the market has not decreased. Everything is as before. Where there is no extortion anywhere, the price of some things in the market did not fall? That's his question too.
Director General (Additional Duties) Kazi Muhammad Mozammel Haque of the National Consumer Rights Protection Department, asked what initiatives are being taken to control the prices of daily necessities, he told Barta24.com, "We are conducting regular operations to control the prices of commodities."
On the question of what could be the reason for the price not being under control even though road extortion has stopped, he said, "Flood situation in different parts of the country, rain and clouds are going on, that is also a big reason."
Kazi Mozammel said, "Basically, we conduct operations by looking at the price set for sale in terms of purchase price and other expenses. Our regular campaign is going on. We are working to control the price of goods.