Three-wheelers still dominate Sylhet highways

SYLHET, Sept 8: Defying a ban, slow-moving three-wheelers continue to ply the highways in Sylhet region.
These small vehicles are plying Dhaka-Sylhet, Sylhet-Tamabil and Sylhet-Sunamganj highways round the clock, causing disruption to the movement of speedy and heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks.
Heavy vehicles often meet accidents due to reckless movement of such three-wheelers, both motorised and non-motorised.
As a result, a number of people get killed, while many sustain serious injuries, eventually becoming crippled.
Still, the three-wheelers continue to dominate the highway despite regular drives by law enforcers. However, sources alleged that the drivers of three-wheeler often gets away without punishment in exchange for bribes.
Even some of the three-wheelers have no registration at all.
More than 50 people, including women and children, were killed in accidents on the highways over the last six months while over a hundred were injured in Sylhet region. Most of the victims were passengers of the auto-rickshaws, police said.
The government in 2015 banned three-wheeler, auto-rickshaw, auto-tempo and all non-motorised vehicles on 22 important highways to check road accidents. But the ban could not be properly executed due to absence of proper monitoring by the police.
Sources said slow-moving the vehicles keep operating on the roads, causing frequent accidents.
A number of drivers of buses said the three-wheelers often create trouble for speedy vehicles due to their reckless driving on the busy highways. Often they try to overtake heavy buses and trucks, they alleged.
Ataur Rahman of Dakshin Surma area in Sylhet said carelessness of bus and truck drivers and helpers, plying of vehicles without fitness certificates as well as illegal movement of three-wheelers on the highways are the reasons behind the road accidents. Besides, inaction on the part of the police is another cause for the crashes, he added.
On the other hand, some transport workers and leaders as well as police are allegedly collecting illegal tolls from CNG-run auto-rickshaws to clear way for the illegal plying of the small vehicles, said Muhibur Rahman of the city's Ambarkhana area. Similarly, some of the organised gangs issue a token for collecting toll on a monthly basis in the name of police.
An official of the Highway Police said three-wheelers are banned on highways. "We often conduct awareness programmes on the issue through loudspeakers and distribute leaflet. Sometimes, police file cases against the errant three-wheelers," he added.
Faisal Mahmud, deputy commissioner of Traffic of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), said, "We conduct drives on a regular basis against such illegal carriers of passengers. We stop auto-rickshaw, easy-bike, motorised rickshaw, etc on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway and others small vehicles. Often they are being penalised."