For scores, Saturday was the first time they had the smoothest ride between Jatrabari and Gulistan. But, the ease of the ride on the first day the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover was thrown open to public, came with riders of confusion. Drivers and passengers got engaged in heated altercations with staff of the Orion Group, the builder and operator of the flyover, over toll rates, and following such altercations, many vehicles were allowed to pass the toll plaza without having to pay tolls. While visiting the Gulistan toll plaza on Saturday afternoon, The Independent witnessed many drivers arguing angrily over the toll rates. However, most of the passengers and drivers admitted that traffic congestion on the route has almost vanished, after the flyover became operational.
Zohirul Islam, a truck driver from Chengrakanda Village of Sonargaon upazila under Narayanganj district, said, “I was able to save at least two hours, thanks to the congestion-free flyover, to reach Gulistan from Narayanganj.”
Talking to The Independent, in front of Gulistan toll plaza, Muklessur Rahman, another truck driver, said, “Though we are happy as traffic congestion was not there en route to the Dhaka-Chittagong road, the rates of toll are extremely high.”
Expressing his serious dissatisfaction over the toll rates, Md Ripon, assistant teacher of Agradut High School of Dhoniya area, said, “The Orion Group has fixed Tk. 10 for motorbikes, but this is quite high.” The operator should take not more than Tk. 5 from each motorbike, he opined.
MA Motaleb, a government employee, who crossed the flyover on a bus, said, “Though traffic jam has significantly reduced, employees manning the toll plaza are not
skilled enough for speedy toll collection.”
However, Md Forhad Hossain, senior executive of the Orion Group, who was
reportedly coordinating the toll collection operations on the first day, denied the allegation of unskilled staff working at
the toll plazas.
He said, “Since all our staff, along with the equipment used in the toll collection process, are new, they need a few hours to adjust to this new job.”
After few hours, everything will work smoothly, he claimed, adding, “Our toll collection system is fully automated and this is why there is no reason of unexpected delays.”
Monirul Islam and Mehedi Hasan, who were working at the A-04 toll both at Gulistan Point, said that, sometimes, the drivers are delaying paying the tolls, claiming the rates to be higher. This, they said, is causing a little bit of delay. They said that, at present, only two out of seven toll booths, are working.
Earlier in the morning, for more than an hour, all vehicles were allowed to pass through the flyover without paying any toll, following altercations among drivers and toll collectors, said sub-inspector Mukter Hossain of Wari Police Station.
As reported, the tariff for trucks and buses is Tk. 150; minibuses, Tk. 100; pick-ups, Tk. 75; micro-buses, Tk. 50; jeeps, Tk. 40; private cars, Tk. 35; auto-rickshaws, Tk. 10; and two-wheelers, Tk. 5.
But, the rates displayed at the toll plaza show a different structure. It says that the toll for buses, minibuses and trucks is Tk. 260; for pickups, Tk.
130; micro-buses, Tk. 85; auto-rickshaws, Tk. 18; and motorcycles, Tk. 10.
Lalu Miah, a driver of Bodhon Paribahan, said, “Toll was being collected at higher rates than what had been announced. I will not pay the extra money.”
But, the Orion Group staff claimed that they were collecting toll at rates decided by their senior officials, and there was nothing they could do about the drivers’ complaints.
The Independent found that no tolls were mentioned for ambulances, but the staff were taking money from ambulances as well.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had inaugurated the country’s longest flyover, by cutting the ribbon at Gulistan Point of the flyover. The flyover connects Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Mawa, and the Dhaka-Demra highways, and the different link roads of Jatrabari and Gulistan areas, to ease traffic congestion in the southern part of the city.
It would also provide faster connection to the capital with five divisions—Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna and Barisal.
-With The Independent input
