Extortions in name of city tolls behind commodity price spirals: Sayeed Khokon

Rampant extortions in the name of city tolls in Dhaka are pushing up the prices of essentials and making them less affordable, Sayeed Khokon, former mayor of Dhaka South, said Saturday (18 May).

"Broiler chicken prices jumped to Tk250 per kg from Tk150 due to extortions at the city kitchen markets. We could have purchased meat at lower prices, if we were able to eliminate such extortions," said Sayeed Khokon at an event at the National Press Club. 

He said the extortionists use the pretext of city tolls to evade police actions against them. 

"Our leader Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been tirelessly working from dawn to late at night for the progress of the country. But the extortions in the name of city tolls undermines her development efforts," the former mayor said. 

During his tenure, he said, he tried to provide services without imposing additional taxes, and provided services like burials in graveyards and cremations in crematories free of charge. 

"Now, these services are heavily taxed while it is possible to serve people without imposing these charges," he said. 

"The city corporation is a service-oriented institution, not a commercial one," said Sayeed Khokon, also a member of Parliament from Dhaka-6 constituency. 

When asked how he would evaluate the performance of the current mayor, he declined to make any comment on it as he is also a member of his party. 

"People will evaluate what Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has done," he said. 

However, he claimed that during his term, he used to get a lot of allocation on infrastructural development from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As a result, there was no need for such extortions then. 

"During my period, my main responsibility was to reduce public suffering as per the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he said. 

Khokon criticised the present mayor for giving wrong information with regard to the number of dengue patients in the south city while he was in office. 

In response to a question about whether he is willing to be a candidate in the upcoming city corporation polls, Saeed Khokon said, "If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants, then I will participate in the elections."

He also said he was ready to cooperate with the current mayor Taposh. 

"We want to see a beautiful Dhaka, a safe Dhaka. I have experience. I will go whenever the authorities (Taposh) call me," he told reporters.