The interim government has yet to respond to a proposal from an organisation linked to the Bangladesh Army that seeks permission to operate 5,000 CNG-run three-wheelers in Chattogram city, amid differing views over whether the move would improve road discipline or worsen congestion.
The proposal was submitted by Sena Kalyan Sangstha, the welfare organisation of the Bangladesh Army, which has written to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) requesting approval to operate the vehicles under a planned “Chatto-Metro” serial system. The initiative, according to the organisation, aims to establish a safer, more disciplined, environment-friendly, sustainable and modern urban transport system in the port city.
In a letter sent in May to the adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and other relevant offices, Sena Kalyan Sangstha argued that registering 5,000 CNG auto-rickshaws in its name would help curb the widespread operation of illegal and unregistered three-wheelers. The letter said such a move would reduce disorder on the roads and help restore discipline in the transport system.
“If 5,000 CNG auto-rickshaws under the Chatto-Metro serial are registered in favour of the Sena Kalyan Sangstha (Army Welfare Organisation), the menace of unregistered and illegal CNG auto-rickshaws will decrease,” the letter stated, adding that the measure would also contribute to maintaining law and order in the city.
When contacted, Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, confirmed that the proposal had been received but said it was not currently under consideration. “We are not entertaining the proposal at this moment. The tenure of the interim government has only a few days left. We are now only focusing on the elections,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Transport experts, however, have raised concerns about the feasibility of the proposal. Shamsul Hoque, a transport expert at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), described the plan as unprofessional, arguing that introducing more small vehicles would exacerbate traffic problems rather than resolve them. “If more small vehicles take to the streets, more chaos will be created on the roads. Instead of reducing congestion, it will make traffic jams permanent,” he told TIMES.
In its letter, Sena Kalyan Sangstha maintained that both the government and the organisation would benefit if permission were granted. It noted that of the 13,000 registered auto-rickshaws in Chattogram Metropolitan City, most have become outdated and unfit for operation.
As a result, the organisation claimed, around 15,000 additional vehicles—including those registered for rural areas, unregistered vehicles, and vehicles registered as private—are operating illegally across the city’s main roads and alleys, often using special tokens and various tactics to avoid enforcement.
The letter further alleged that these unregistered auto-rickshaws do not pay registration fees, value-added tax or income tax, leading to significant annual revenue losses for the government. It also claimed that such vehicles are frequently involved in criminal activities, including snatching, thereby undermining law and order and severely disrupting transport discipline in Chattogram Metropolitan City.
Citing these concerns, Sena Kalyan Sangstha made a “special request” for the registration of 5,000 CNG auto-rickshaws in its favour, saying the move would support and sustain the organisation’s welfare activities while contributing to better regulation of urban transport in the city.
When contacted, a top official of the Sena Kalyan Sangstha told TIMES, “This is an old proposal and present leadership has postponed this project. The SKS will not engage themselves with this kind of project anymore.”
