Dr. Syed Nesar Ahmad Rumy :
Recently accidents and unnatural deaths have become a very common thing in Bangladesh. Every day we get this sort of news in the print and electronic media. It is now so soaring and common that people forget the accidental death of a particular incident within a couple of days. By this time new incidents occur and those come to the forefront and people start talking on that issue forgetting past events. Now the frequencies of different types of accidents have become so casual that it is very difficult to someone to keep account of these accidents of different types. In this way people of our country take all these accidents a matter of fate.
“Safe the Road’ a NGO working on road accident in Bangladesh published a report regarding death and injuries in road accidents of the month of last May in Bangladesh. Some days back this report was also published in the newspaper.
From this report we came to know that the number of road accidents occurred in the month of May is 4631 and the death toll of road accidents is 1029. And the number of injuries is 4631. Among the deaths, 772 were from the age group of 18-40. Within this number 444 were the students, 241 were women, 97 were children and 81 were above the age of sixty. The report also says that most of the accidents were the outcome of high-speed motor bike riding and losing control of riding.
As we know people’s memory is very short and this is why this whole scenario is manifested. About 10 days back four teachers died in a fatal road accident at Rajshahi-Nagaon road. They were going to Rajshahi to attend a workshop arranged by the education department. But on the way to Rajshahi their three-wheeler met head-on collision with a speedy bus and having seriously wounded they succumbed on the spot. Recently another accident took place on the deck of newly built Padma Bridge. Two bikers riding motor cycles with high speed lost control on the deck of the bridge and as result they got seriously wounded. They were taken to the DMCH and then doctors declared them dead. To control this rough motor cycle riding the Padma Bridge authority has to ban motor cycle riding on the bridge. This incident shows many of our youths do not show their prudency whenever it is needed.
An accident is not mere an accident, it is more than that. Persons who lost their lives might have many emotional stories of their families after the accident. Maybe s/he was only earning member of his/her family. If that is so that family has to face an extreme hardship after the accident. Death is irreparable loss and by any comparison their grief and loss cannot be minimized. Last month Sitakund fire happened and about 50 persons lost their lives and some of them were burnt to ashes. Now our print and electronic media do not publish the present situation of those ill-fated families. Maybe we all forget that incident. Our memory is very short. Families of those ill-fated persons might be facing hardship and grief but how many of us are enquiring about their present condition? We do not know the answer and the news media do not publish their condition now.
With the opening of Padma Bridge and expressway of Dhaka-Mawa -Bhanga, volume of accidental death on this highway and bridge might be raised as the drivers and bikers seem to be very much indifferent to traffic rules. Already some people were killed in accidents occurred on this expressway and bridge. Because many of our youth’s mind-set are not compatible to the new thing. They think that speedy riding of motor bike will depict them as hero to their friends and others. We know that some long distance drivers sometimes get themselves addicted and with this condition they are used to drive their vehicles. This is a serious concern of occurring road accident in Bangladesh. About a couple of days back at 2.30 am one bus of Shohug Paribahan met a head-on collision with a motor bike. How come it was possible in a very modern expressway at night? Is it not the outcome callousness or indifferent driving or riding? Highway police should look into the matter taking extra care of expressway which is one of the prides of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is an accident prone country. Every day we get road accident and other man-made disaster news in the media. If we can make ourselves a bit conscious and change our behavioral pattern, driving and riding on the highways we can easily reduce the volume of accidental deaths in the roads and industrial sector. In this regard, plying unauthorized vehicles on the roads must be stopped. Law-enforcing agencies and BRTA should take extra attention for this. With the times, many accidents occur and after some days we forget those incidents but the families suffered for these accidents bear long time the pains and grief and those are irreparable. As a common people we all forget this and delineate ourselves as a forgetful nation. How we will get out of this situation is a big question to all of us.
(Dr. Rumy is former civil servant
and freelancer)
