Tough to break bus companies' syndicate: Annisul

Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Annisul Huq on Saturday said a big syndicate of businessmen involving thousand crores of taka is behind a large number of bus companies in the capital, reports news agency UNB.

“There’s a big syndicate of businessmen involving thousand crores of taka behind this so many bus companies…I can say, for example, that if I were the proprietor of a bus company and could collect 10 buses from some owners, I would get the personal share from the profit of the buses. It’s very tough to break the syndicate,” he said.

The DNCC mayor came up with the remarks while addressing a views-exchange meeting with editors of the print and online media at a city hotel.

He, however, said the owners of the bus companies are now cooperating with the city corporation in implementing its initiative to reduce the number of bus companies, aiming to ease traffic jam in the city.

Noting that some 2,000 bus owners are working under 190 licensed companies in the capital, he said, “We’ve been negotiating with them for the last six months and they are now convinced for reducing the number of bus companies to only five. It’s a huge progress,” he said.

An initiative has been taken to launch some 3,000 brand new public buses on the city streets by June next, Annisul said.

As part of addressing traffic congestion, as many as 21 ‘U’ loops along the 34-km main artery from Joydepur to Satrasta to ease traffic congestion are going to be built soon, he said.

Expressing his dismay, Annisul said licenses were given to only 28,991 rickshaws, but some 10 lakh are now plying the city streets.

Citing different initiatives and plans of DNCC to solve the nagging problems, the mayor sought opinions and cooperation from the editors in raising public awareness to keep the city clean.