Rangdars disrupt road traffic

BEGUSARAI: Even after the lapse of one and a half months, the Begusarai and Patna district administrations have failed to restore road traffic between Mokama and Begusarai.
As a result, hundreds of passengers are affected daily. Passengers feel that the "rangdars" of the area are hand in glove with the local police.
According to passengers, transporters charge Rs 10 for Simariya Ghat which is 16 km away from here.Earlier, they used to charge Rs 12 for Mokama railway station which is about 30 km away from here. "I have to pay Rs 30 in place of Rs 12 as fare and change vehicles at three different places between Mokama and Begusarai," said one T N Singh, a resident of Mokama, who works as an office assistant in the subdivisional office at Manjhaul.
According to passengers, the Mokama bridge is considered "no man''s land" these days as passengers either hire a rickshaw or a tam-tam to reach Hathidah from where they get buses for Mokama Junction.
According to reports, the bus operators of both the Patna and the Begusarai districts ply their vehicles only within the jurisdiction of their respective districts. They allege that extortionists demand exorbitant amount from them. "How do I go to Mokama when I am not in a position to pay Rs 100 as ''rangdari tax'' to gangsters at Hathidah and Mokama junction falling under the Patna district, said the driver and the conductor of a minibus (BR-9B-9905). According to them, the buses belonging to the Patna district operate only up to Mokama and Hathidah while buses belonging to the Begusarai district go only up to the Simariya Ghat, the border of Begusarai district.
The driver of a minibus informed that one Ranjit Singh, the "rangdar" of the area, enjoys the support of the Hathidah police. The driver said that Singh has instructed him either to pay Rs 100 per trip or not to ply the vehicle in the area. "I will suffer loss if I yield to Singh''s demand. Singh has connections with the Mokama-based gangster, Naga Singh," said another bus operator. He further said that gangsters belonging to Birloli, Simariya and Bihat in the Begusarai district also realise "rangdari tax" from the bus operators.
When contacted, the alleged gangster, Ranjit Singh, said that he is being unnecessarily blamed for the extortions. He said he would be happy if the police nab the miscreants who realise "rangdari tax" from bus operators. "When bus operators charge enhanced fare from the passengers, why will they try to restore road traffic between Mokama and Begusarai," said Shaligram Singh, a Congress leader and a lecturer in the local Cooperative College.
Begusarai SP Kumar Rajesh Chandra said that he has already written a letter to the Patna district administration in this regard. However, he said that any action in this regard would yield fruits only when a combined effort is made by both the districts.