THERE is a common scene in city streets when powerful persons drive their cars in the wrong side of the streets to avoid traffic gridlock in the right side. While commoners remain stuck in the congestion the social elite are seen routinely violating traffic rules, giving the impression that elite are authorized to break the rules as they are perceived to be above the laws. Flag bearing vehicles of Ministers and lawmakers, government sticker cladding vehicles of high officials, Supreme Court sticker glued cars with police escort, and journalists’ vehicles and motorcycles openly violate traffic rules. This is a scenario when the notion of the “rule of law” has every cause to shed tears. The naked violation of traffic rules by influential section of people exposes their attitude towards the rule of law and the limitation of state capacity to enforce law on the powerful persons. There are also people often driving cars in city streets without nameplates and they also appear above the law. Now if they cause an accident, if the vehicle is in wrong hand, they would remain clueless to be apprehended.
A national daily on Saturday reported that police are helpless while lawmakers and members of politically powerful families break the traffic laws by driving in wrong lane in city streets for escaping from traffic congestion. Admitting the situation a reality, Inspector General (IG) of Police hoped that everybody would abide by the law but failed to suggest any legal action against the offenders knowing that the offenders are apparently above law. Whose responsibility it is to enforce traffic rules. The traffic police in many times make their way also in wrong lane for their vehicles, halting the heavy stream of vehicles on the right lane as they had to do it to avoid retribution. The picture is common in the city’s Hare Road, at Tejgaon flyover end, at Bijoy Sarani, Sonargaon, Farmgate Police Box, Moghbazar and Bangla Motor intersections.
Reports said that double-deckers of Dhaka University are frequent violators of the traffic rule. DU Vice-Chancellor said students compel bus drivers to drive through wrong lane when the buses get stuck up in traffic congestion although drivers are strictly instructed to follow traffic rules. The question remains why the University authorities are not taking action against the offenders. The newspaper snapped a double-decker carrying employees of the Supreme Court crossing the Ruposhi Bangla intersection through the wrong lane while the apex court is unaware of the matter. Admitting that Ministers and lawmakers’ vehicles often ply through the wrong side, a top DMP official of the Traffic Division said they were just helpless. It is high time to ponder if those who make laws break the laws; there is hardly anything that can be done against them. But why there should be two sets of rule for the ruling party and powerful as against the commoners. Such lawlessness must come to an immediate stop.
