"The government has yet to decide on the payment of current dues. If we are granted funds for this purpose, we will definitely make the payments," said DMP Commissioner SM Mizanur Rahman.

Section 103 KA of DMP ordinance 1976 empowers the metropolitan police authorities to requisition vehicles from other organisations. Since the promulgation of the ordinance, DMP has requisitioned more than 20 lakh vehicles to date.

The ordinance does not say anything about the rate of compensation. Nor does it answer whether the owner of the vehicle shall be paid compensation determined on the basis of the fares or rates prevailing for the hire of such a vehicle. DMP on its own has set the rate at Tk 500 a day for a vehicle.

Taking advantage of such ambiguity in the ordinance, DMP considers eligible for compensation only the owners of heavy vehicles like buses, mini buses, and trucks.

Given that, DMP's arrears stand at Tk 50 crore as half the vehicles that it has requisitioned so far and paid nothing in exchange are heavy vehicles.

"We pay a daily allowance and provide food to the drivers of vehicles. We requisition private cars and microbuses, but we do not consider the owners of those vehicles eligible for compensation," said the commissioner.

The traffic department under DMP requisitions in between 140 and 190 vehicles daily in regular days while the number rises to 650 on hartal days.

On special occasions like elections, public examinations, special drives, and other functions of the government and law enforcement agencies, the number exceeds the one thousand mark. Of the vehicles requisitioned, 60 percent are buses and minibuses.

The vehicle owners claimed that they have been asking the DMP authorities for the payment since 1991, but the officials who deal with the requisition said they have records only on the vehicles requisitioned since 2001.

"The claims for compensation that we have in our file date from 2001. The amount of arrears is around Tk 6.5 crore and we are yet to pay any," said a source in the DMP accounts section. "The number of claims are increasing everyday."

Owners of different transport companies claimed through Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity (DSPS) and Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity (BSPS) Tk 4.6 crore for the period of 2001 to date.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), the state-owned transport company, has claimed Tk 1.58 crore in compensation for its vehicles requisitioned to DMP in the same period.

"We have been asking the metropolitan police authorities to pay the arrears since 1991, but to no effect. DMP owes us more than Tk 18 crore for requisitions during the period of 1991-2005," said Saiful Alam, general secretary of DSPS and additional general secretary of BSPS.

BRTC Chairman Advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker said, "DMP is bound to pay us the arrears."

In response to an order from the High Court on June 12, 2005, DMP plans to bring some changes in the 1976 DMP ordinance, under which it requisitions vehicles.

"The proposed changes will incorporate into the ordinance a clear provision regarding compensation and the period of requisition. Besides, they would rid the ordinance of the existing ambiguities " he added.