Sweepers and cleaners operate the vast majority of waste collection and disposal vehicles in Dhaka due to a shortage of qualified and willing drivers.

According to documents and sources from the Dhaka North and South City Corporations, the two city authorities operate a total of 430 garbage trucks of different types, all of which require heavy vehicle licenses. 

However, the two city corporations have only 98 drivers for the vehicles.

In order to make up for the shortage of qualified drivers, the city corporations use a master roll process to appoint temporary drivers. Syndicates of sweepers and cleaners take advantage of the relaxed restrictions for the master roll to include their men, even though they do not have licenses to operate heavy vehicles.

Some of the sweepers and cleaners on the master roll then “train” outsiders to operate the vehicles, splitting the payment they receive.

The garbage truck that killed Notre Dame College student Nayeem Hasan on Wednesday was being driven under such an arrangement. 

Staff driver Md Iran Mia, who was supposed to operate the vehicle, rented it out to DSCC cleaner Md Harun Mia. 

Harun Mia then rented out the vehicle to Rasel Khan, a former contractual cleaner of the DSCC who was behind the wheel when Nayeem was killed on Wednesday.

Qualified drivers reluctant
According to the annual DSCC report on waste management in 2020, the city corporation operates 266 vehicles to carry 3,256 tons of waste each day.

“We have appointed 92 drivers for operating garbage carriers. We depend on a master roll to mitigate the manpower shortage,” said DSCC Public Relations Officer Md Abu Naser.

The DSCC issued a circular to recruit 50 drivers to operate garbage carriers in January 2021, but they received less than 30 applications for the post. Only 19 of the applicants were qualified to operate heavy vehicles.

Officials concerned said most heavy vehicle drivers earn handsome salaries. As a result, they are often unwilling to operate garbage trucks.

Most qualified garbage truck drivers appointed by the Dhaka city corporations are former cleaners and sweepers who earned their heavy vehicle license, they added.

Also Read- Another death by city corporation garbage truck in Dhaka in two days

According to the DNCC’s 2020 annual report on waste management, the authorities used 164 trucks to carry 4,220 tons of waste each day. However, they have only seven appointed drivers.

“We have less than 10 drivers for operating garbage trucks. We mostly depend on the master roll driver to keep operation running,” said Md Mizanur Rahman, general manager of the DNCC transport division.

He added that all applicants to the master roll are vetted to ensure that they have a driving license and adequate skill. A total 184 garbage vehicle driver posts are currently vacant, and recruitment will be started very soon.

Heavy vehicles on light vehicle licenses
Regarding the accident that claimed the life of former Prothom Alo journalist Md Ahsan Kabir Khan in Panthapath on Thursday, DNCC officials claimed the truck driver had a license despite being a member on master roll.

When Dhaka Tribune checked the license of the driver, former DNCC sweeper Md Hanif, it was found that the license was only valid for light vehicles. 

Prof Hadiuzzaman, director of the Accident Research Institute at Buet, said: “There may be a system but, unfortunately, the master roll drivers often do not operate the vehicles themselves. They hand over the heavy trucks to outsiders as they are not monitored, and this increases the risk of accidents further.”

DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said: “I checked many driver recruitment documents and held discussions with officials concerned after the Panthapath accident. There were many inconsistencies.”

He told Dhaka Tribune that they would address all the loopholes in the process.