SURGING AHEAD: The machine van, South 24-Parganas’ latest mode of transport. Picture by Amit Datta

Exit, van rickshaw; enter, machine van. If chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee takes another trip to the southern fringes where no red-light car can go, he can hop on to a curious contraption — a cycle van with pedals, but powered by motor.

The three-wheelers — popularly know as machine vans — are smuggled in from Bangladesh through the riverine route of the Sunderbans and then the necessary paperwork is overseen by the powers that are (read: CITU), without the motor vehicles department entering the frame.

Md Asif, owner of a machine van and a CITU member, says about 500 such vehicles are running in South 24-Parganas. “After purchasing a van, the owner contacts the Jamtala-Kultali CITU office for registration.”

CITU leader Nirmal Mondal, said to be playing a lead role in issuing such licences, sees “nothing wrong” in the exercise. “About a thousand people have been employed by these vans, as the drivers operate in two shifts throughout the day,” explains Mondal.

Such machine vans now dot the semi-urban streets of Garia, Sonarpur, Bhangar, Joynagar, Kultali, Canning, Gosaba, Basanti, Mandirbazar and Mathurapur.

SUCI legislator Probodh Purakait is “totally against” such illegal vans that are robbing bus and autorickshaw-owners of passengers. “These machine vans carry 10-12 passengers all the time. This results in a number of accidents every day. I have reported the matter to the authorities but no action has been taken for obvious reasons,” complains Purakait.

And the authorities? Jogesh Ghosh, secretary of the Joynagar–Kultali zonal committee of the CPM, denies any knowledge about machine vans. Transport secretary H. Mohan expresses “dismay” and promises to “take up the matter with the district magistrate”. Vivek Kumar, district magistrate, South 24-Parganas, says no unauthorised vehicle can be allowed to ply.