Transport act to serve owners, workers: Mozammel

The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA) on Saturday has alleged the newly passed Road Transport Act 2018 would merely serve the interest of transport owners and workers, not of the general public, reports UNB.

Although passengers have become hostages to the transport owners and workers for a long time, there is no directive in the law to relieve them, said BPWA general secretary Mozammel Haque Chowdhury.

Mozammel made the claims at a press conference organised by BPWA at the Mukti Bhaban in the city's Paltan area.

"Although the government seriously accepted the demands raised by the students during their recent movement for road safety, it was not reflected in this law," said Mozammel.

As the influential transport owner-labour organisations were involved in formulating the law, it has become a document of their interests, he said.

There is no clear direction in this law to stop passengers' harassment, rent anarchy, plying unfit vehicles on the streets, various irregularities in public transport as well as there is no specific instruction in the law to make the BRTA and traffic department corruption free, he claimed.

The proposal to set up a separate agency for investigating into road accident cases was also ignored in this law, Mozammel further said.

"Despite the presence of a registered passenger welfare association in the country, the authority didn’t take their opinions into consideration while drafting the law," the secretary general said. "The law does not represent the demands of the general passengers."

Road accidents have turned into an epidemic, with an average of 50-64 people getting killed and 150 people becoming injured a day, Mozammel alleged.

"If the rule of law is not established on the roads, this epidemic will not stop," he added.

In order to ensure the representation of passenger organisations alongside owner and labour organisations, Mozammel urged the government to include the rights and demands of the general passengers in all areas including public transport, regional transport committees and road safety committees.

He urged a direct intervention of the country's president in the proper implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018.

Road Safety Foundation vice chairman MA Hamid Sharif, BPWA central leader Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ziaul Haque Chowdhury, Amanullah Mahafuz and lawyer Zayedur Rahman also spoke on the occasion.