Form independent body to survey transports fitness: HC asks govt

The High Court on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to form a 15-member independent national probe committee to survey the fitness of public transports in the country.

The order came in the wake of recurring road crashes that claimed hundreds of lives in recent months.

Secretary of road transport and bridges ministry, home ministry and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman were asked to form the body within a short time, reports UNB.

A bench of justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order after hearing on a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Tanvir Ahmed in the form of public interest litigation (PIL).

The probe committee was directed to submit a report within three months.

The court also issued a rule seeking explanation as to why the failure of the authorities concerned in monitoring the fitness of public transports won’t be declared illegal.

The authorities concerned were asked to respond the rule within four weeks.

The HC rule came following Sunday’s road crash, which claimed lives of two students as a bus ploughed on them in front of Kurmitola General Hospital in the capital.

Students, across the city have been demonstrating since then at different places demanding punishment of the drivers responsible for the accident and apology from the shipping minister for his comments.

The minister was, reportedly, smiling while answering to questions of newsmen regarding the accident after one hour of the incident.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested, however, two drivers and two helpers of three buses on Monday.