LOCAL newspapers said at least 16 people died and 15 others were injured in different road crashes in four districts. Of them the most pathetic road accident occurred in Netrokona’s Durgapur upazila where five Secondary School Certificate examinees were killed and 18 others injured. Besides, seven people, including six of a family, died when a private car hit a roadside tree in Karipur area under Godagari upazila in Rajshahi. Three other persons were killed and some 15 passengers injured when the driver of a Dhaka-bound bus lost control of the vehicle and fell into a roadside ditch on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla. A motorcyclist was killed by being hit by a bus at Falsatia Bus stand area on the Dhaka-Aricha highway under Shibalaya Upazila in Manikganj.
Fatal road crashes are nothing new in Bangladesh. Every day people are becoming victims of road accidents. Nirapod Sarak Chai, a non-profit organization on road safety, in its annual report said deaths in road crashes in Bangladesh reached 5,227 in 2019. About 788 more people were killed in 2019 compared to 2018. A total of 4,439 people were killed in road crashes in 2018. On the other hand, the Shipping and Communication Reporters’ Forum said a total of 4,580 people were killed and 10,828 others injured in 4,317 road accidents in 2018 while 4,628 people lost their lives and 8,621 others suffered injuries in 4,219 accidents from January 1 to December 31 2019. Both the organizations said an increase in the number of small and local mechanised vehicles on regional roads and inter-district roads and highways, extortion in bus and truck terminals, displeasure of transport workers and overall anarchy were some of the reasons behind road accidents.
But what’s true is that — the authorities concerned have no headache and no competence to bring discipline in the road transport sector. We find no justification as to why the Ministry concerned has been spending billions of taka for huge development in the road transport sector, where corruption and irregularities are considered as top prioritised tasks.
