DHAKA:  A juxtaposed jumble of mechanized and non-mechanized vehicles triggers most tailbacks on the capital’s streets, killing millions of working hours of the busy city-dwellers.

All sections of people blame manually driven rickshaws as the main culprit for the nagging jams.

Now—like it or loathe it--there is an apprehension that 200,000 more rickshaws are joining the existing street-jamming fleet of half a million three-wheelers during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and festivals.

“Police fear worse tailbacks during the month, but they are at arms to ease the tailbacks,” DMP commissioner Shahidul Haq told banglanews24.com.bd.  

Among the existing 500,000 rickshaws, beyond belief, only 80,000 have licenses from Dhaka City Corporation (DCC). The rest of the big lot goes freewheeling.

Shaidul Huq said 4/5 rickshaws are running against one license having the same number. As a result, the tailback is going from bad to worse with every passing day.

President of Rickshaw Owners Association of Dhaka city Ali Ahmed told banglanews24.com.bd that the situation “will be going this way up to Eid-ul-Fitr”.

Ali Ahmed said excepting the two Eids, most of the year majority of the rickshaws sit idle. But most of the owners put all their rickshaws on the streets eyeing extras from the Eid rush.

“The idle rickshaws are expected to come to the streets of Dhaka ahead of the Eid,” he said.  

He said ahead of the Ramadan and the Eid, many rickshaws enter Dhaka city from the outskirts and nearby towns. They are expecting about 100,000 rickshaws from Rupganj, Narayanganj, Keraniganj, Savar, Ashulia, Tongi and Gazipur. As a result, about 200,000 more rickshaws will ply the capital during the month of August and September.

Ali Ahmed said he thinks the tailbacks in the capital could be eased if the influx of rickshaws stopped.  

It was seen in the rickshaw garages that the preparation was in the final stage to avail the month of Ramadan and Eid making new rickshaws or repairing the old ones.

Poor people from different districts are pouring into the capital to earn some money during the month of Ramadan and the Eid, the biggest Muslim festival.      

The police commission said they guess around 500,000 rickshaws in the capital and there is no law to regulate the huge number of rickshaws. “The process is on to make a law.”

BDST/ 1230 HRS, AUGUST 10, 2010