CNG-auto-rickshaws are not running on meter in the absence of monitoring by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, leaving people to the whims of the drivers of the three-wheelers.
The authorities' engineering director, Mohammad Saiful Hoque, admitted to New Age on Sunday that the auto-rickshaws in the capital were charging the commuters at will.
'We asked the auto-rickshaw owners to re-fix the meters according to the government-fixed fares but many of them are yet to do so,' he said, adding that the BRTA was failing to compel the vehicles to run on meters for lack of adequate manpower.
BRTA's deputy director of enforcement AKM Shamim Akhter told New Age that they had a plan to run 12 mobile courts against the errant CNG auto-rickshaws and other transports from next month.
He also said the plan could be implemented only if the district administration and the communications ministry provided with the BRTA with adequate number of magistrates.
The government on May 16, following the price hike of CNG, raised CNG-run auto-rickshaws fare to Tk 7.50 a kilometre from Tk 7 per kilometre, and fixed the minimum fare unchanged at Tk 25.
It increased the waiting charge for the auto-rickshaws to Tk 1.30 per minute from Tk 1.25.
DMP traffic (South) additional deputy police commissioner Mohammad Zaidul Alam said after the gas price hike the police ran special mobile courts for some days to ensure CNG-run auto-rickshaws go on meter.
'We will again go for special drives after the meters are fixed in these auto-rickshaws according to the government fixed fare,' he added.
Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-Rickshaw Businessmen Owners' Association general secretary Faridul Islam Khasru said as the meters were not fixed yet, the drivers were charging extra fares from the commuters.
He said they had sat with the BRTA on May 28 only to discuss the recent price hike.
'See, they have to call another meeting with us and the meter companies to discuss re-fixating the CNG-run auto-rickshaw meters,' he said, adding 'we cannot do anything without discussion.'
Imam Hossain, a Dhanmandi resident, said after the gas's price hike it became almost impossible to ride these auto-rickshaws.
'The auto-rickshaws are running their vehicles at their sweet will,' he added.
Khilgaon resident Hosne Ara said the minimum fare of CNG-run auto-rickshaws had become Tk 80 in reality.
Source : New Age
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