Road transport adviser gives a month ultimatum to BRTA officials

Action would be taken against the officials, including the chairman, and employees of all levels of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) if they cannot upgrade the quality of services within the next one month, road transport adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan warned Thursday.

He was addressing a meeting titled “Enhancing discipline in the road transport sector, elimination of Dhaka city’s traffic jam and curbing air pollution” at Bidyut Bhaban (power building) today.

BRTA is the apex body in the road transport sector in the country.

While talking to the media after the meeting, the road transport adviser said, “BRTA has been given one month’s time. They must improve the situation. Availability of the driving licenses must be ensured. It must ensure no vehicle without fitness certificate could ply on the city roads and, if necessary, it could take help from the private sector to issue fitness certificates.”

He also spoke about identifying the points where traffic jams are intense. The jams appear more at level crossings and the mouth of flyovers, he remarked.

He stated that traffic police have been directed to take actions within two days so that the situation improves visibly within the next week. If the traffic jams are created for illegally parked vehicles, those have to be seized instead of fining the owner.

Speaking to the media, the home adviser said he would send a letter to the education ministry regarding initiatives to start school buses.

Mentioning that they would hold an interministerial meeting in this regard, the adviser further said they also discussed an alternative of taking passengers from the road in an indisciplined way.

Road transport and highways division secretary Ehsanul Haque told the media that a company-based bus service will be started on a pilot-basis on nine routes under the bus route rationalisation programme from 25 February.

Later, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said all the buses over 20-year-old will have to be withdrawn from the road. The transport owners have already been informed about this.

They were also told that the government would assist them if they wanted to take bank loans.

Environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan at that time said, “A taskforce has been formed to curb air pollution. It is not that air pollution could be stopped within one or two months or in a year. But the effort is on to bring down the sufferings of the people from air pollution.”

She also informed the media that the government has been thinking about making the Ashulia area free from brick kilns.

Chief adviser’s special assistant Khuda Baksh Chowdhury said promulgation of a law is at the final stage to bring the rickshaw and battery-run rickshaw under registration. Initiatives will be started within a week in this regard, he added.

Industries adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, IGP Baharul Alam and secretaries of several ministries and leaders and activists of transport owners’ and workers’ organisations were present at the meeting.