Business Desk :
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) called for halting the construction work on roads for a total of 14 days before and after Eid to alleviate the suffering of home goers.
FBCCI senior vice-president Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu made the call at the first meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (Railways, Roads and Highways) on Sunday.
Speaking as the Chief Guest, the senior vice-president said that the speed of vehicles slows down due to repair and construction work on roads and highways resulting in huge traffic jam.
Therefore, the FBCCI Senior Vice President urged the government to postpone the construction work from 27 April to 10 May to make the Eid journey smoother.
He also called for the deployment of highway police at heavy traffic zones to ensure smooth movement of vehicles and stop extortion on the roads.
The senior vice-president also called for increasing the number of ferries and ferry trips to cut the long queue of the buses and trucks short at Mawa and Aricha Ferry Ghat.
Earlier, raising the issue of the financial loss due to traffic jam FBCCI vice-president and director-in-charge of the committee Md. Aminul Haque Shamim informed that the heavy jam at Tongi costs financial loss worth Tk10 crore daily.
Despite being the most affected sector, the public transport sector, which remained closed for 18 months, received no government assistance, he mentioned.
In addition, the owners have to pay regular bank installment to avoid being defaulted even if they have no income. In this situation, He urged the government not to impose any further tax or duty on tires, tubes and other parts in the next financial year’s budget.
President of the Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association and Chairman of the committee Ramesh Chandra Ghosh said that law enforcement members illegally collect money every night at Joykali Mandir and Ittefaq intersection in the capital.
