Mishuk drivers demand a fair rate of pay
Bishawjit Das
With the ultimatum expiring on August 1, most mishuks, the four-stroke locally made three wheelers have not bothered to install any meters. Those who installed meters are plying the city streets without using them. Police have still not taken any action against those who have failed to install meters. Police say most mishuks do not have any route permits and therefore they are only allowed to operate in the lanes and by-lanes of the city. Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ansar Ali Khan Pathan told The Daily Star only 170 Mishuks out of 270 have route permits to ply in the city. Although a mishuk runs on petrol and octane authorities have nonetheless set the fare in line with CNG three wheelers. CNGs charge Tk.12 for the first two kilometers and Tk. 5 for each of the following kilometers of the journey. Leaders of the Mishuk Owners Association had urged Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to rethink about the fare on the ground that price of petrol is higher than compressed natural gas. The traffic department had earlier asked the Mishuk-owners to paint their vehicles in grey and white so that it could be differentiated from CNG three wheelers. Mishuk drivers said a meter cost between Tk. 6,000 and 6,500 to install and their earning did not actually enable them to afford installation of meters. Some mishuk owners claimed that the time to install meters has been extended. "I asked one sergeant at Tejgoan thana whether the police would arrest those plying without metres," said Rafiq, a mishuk owner. "He said he did not get any orders like that." DC Traffic (north) Ansar Ali said that they had not extended the time for the mishuks to install meters. He also said the police would clamp down on mishuks plying the city streets without mishuks. Many commuters however complained that most of the CNGs, taxicabs and mishuks are unwilling to carry passengers on meter fares. They invariably demand up to Tk ten on top of the meter fare. "I have to starve if I follow the fare chart," claimed a mishuk driver. The expense for every litre of CNG is Tk. 7.5, where as it is Tk. 30 and 35 for a litre of petrol and octane respectivly. Most of the cabs, including CNGs usually complain of long waits at filling stations and say that they compensate the time spent at the filling stations by charging 'a little more'.. All mishuks were asked to install meters by Feb 1, 2003 but later the time was extended up to August 1. Police however maintained that mishuks could ply in the city's peripheral areas without meters.
| 
