Motor vehicle sales outside capital see sizzling growth

Mahmuda ShaolinbrMotor vehicle sales in cities and towns outside the capital nearly doubled last year and has been growing in sizzling pace this year due to buying spree of motor cycles and auto-rickshaws, officials said Tuesday.brA total of 84,330 new motor vehicles were sold and registered outside the capital in 2007, up from 46,342 in 2006 and 39099 in 2005, statistics released by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) said.br This year, BRTA officials said, on an average they were registering 100 motor cycles a day in Dhaka and a record 500 bikes a day outside the capital. brThere has been a dramatic increase in motor vehicles sales outside the capital since early 2007, BRTA deputy director Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas said, adding a spike in sales of motor cycles and autorickshaws mainly contributed to the record trend.brSales and registration of new motor cycles have nearly doubled in 2007. Most of the sales occurred in coastal districts and border areas, he said. brMotor cycles are the main mode of transport for more than 20 million people living in the country's remote coastal districts and islands, where the paved roads are far and few between. brCyclone Sidr which devastated the country's south and south-central districts in November, killing some 3500 people and displacing millions, also boosted motor-cycle sales-- mainly bought by non-government organizations (NGOs) operating in the affected areas.brIn 2007, as many as 67828 motor cycles were sold and registered outside the capital, up from 34824 a year ago and 30347 in 2005, according to the BRTA statistics.brWe have estimated that this year, the number of new motor cycles registration would hit around one lakh ( 0.1 million) outside the capital, Biswas said. brOfficials said the number of auto-rickshaws outside the capital also saw an unprecedented growth after the government allowed the transport in some district towns and cities.brIn 2007, as many as 10409 auto-rickshaws-- mainly CNG-run three wheelers and tempoes -- were sold and registered outside Dhaka, where the sales were only 121. In 2006 the number was 6668 in 2006.brOfficials said a number of towns and cities in the country's east and central parts, such as Comilla, Noakhali, Feni, Narsingdi, now have plenty of CNG filling stations, paving the way for record sales in these districts. br