Businesses seek urgent remedy
The number of incidents involving hijack of goods-laden trucks across the country has increased alarmingly over the last couple of months mainly due to the ongoing turbulent political situation, industry insiders said. According to data compiled by the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI), more than one hundred incidents of robbery and hijack of goods-laden trucks take place on the highways across the country every month which were less than sixty a year before.
People involved in the sector, however, said that many such incidents are not reported.
Business leaders recently met with the high-ups of law enforcement agencies during when they had expressed their concern over the alarming situation of truck hijacking on the highways and urged for a remedy.
At the meetings, business leaders requested the authorities concerned to strengthen highway policing to curb the crime, sources said.
Auto re-rolling and steel mills, ready-made garments, textiles, papers, and cement industries are the worst victims of the crime, the sources added.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) leaders recently met with the law enforcement agencies and expressed their grave concern over the alarming situation and urged the personnel concerned to strengthen their presence on the highways immediately.
“Robberies and hijacking have become rampant on the highways, especially on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, causing serious setbacks to the local businesses,” BGMEA president M Atiqul Islam told the FE.
“Even after several requests to the high-ups of the government, such incidents have been increasing gradually in the country. If the government does not take urgent actions against the crime, it might leave a negative message about the country’s law and order for the foreign traders,” he added.
According to BGMEA, at least 68 incidents of robbery and hijacking were reported on routes between the Chittagong Port and factories in Dhaka and its neighbouring areas in the last six months.
The BGMEA leaders said robbers sometimes hijack the entire volume of goods in the trucks and sometimes loot parts of each cartoon in a truck, leaving many exporters in an embarrassing situation before their buyers.
Bangladesh Auto Re-Rolling and Steel Mills Association (BARSMA) leaders also expressed their concern about the growing incidents of truck hijacking, with at least 24 such incidents reported in the past six months.
“Goods-laden truck hijacking across the country has become the most serious problem for the sector, which is worse than the gas and electricity crisis,” president of BARSMA, Masadul Haque Masud told the FE Wednesday.
“We always stay in the fear of hijack of our trucks carrying our goods from factory to the delivery points. Each of the trucks carries goods worth at least Tk 1.0 to 2.0 million at a time. If it is robbed, then how a factory owner would be able to run his production activity after facing the obstacles like gas and electricity supply shortages?” Masud asked.
However, the FBCCI in October and Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in July last year wrote letters to the home ministry seeking urgent actions to stop such incidents on highways.
“We have on several times urged the authorities concerned of the law enforcement agencies for a remedy, but the situation is becoming alarming day by day,” former president of FBCCI AK Azad said.
However, an official of highway police department said they have recently intensified their regular patrol on the highways. But due to some limitations, mainly inadequate manpower, they cannot ensure required security for the trucks on the highways.
“We have to cover over 12,000-kilometre highways in the country with a limited number of only around 2000 personnel,” he added.
He, however, vowed to bring down the highway crimes, including robbery and hijacking of goods-carrying trucks, at any cost.
Courtesy of The Financial Express
