SM Mizanur Rahman :Country’s highways have become virtual death traps due to negligence of monitoring by BRTA and highway police, existence of illegal structures and plying of unfit vehicles. As the authorities concerned have apparently failed to ensure road safety for the passengers and passersby, the highways have become death traps taking away thousands of lives every year.People think actions should be taken against the officials of BRTA and highway police, as they are responsible for the road accidents.Experts suggest taking immediate action against the officials of BRTA and highway police to stop road accident. If they are given punishment, they will concentrate to their assigned duty, they said. At least eight people were killed in three separate road accidents on Dhaka-Pabna, Dhaka-Mawa and Beanibazar-Sylhet highways on Monday. In Pabna, a head-on collision between a stone-loaded truck and a passenger bus left at least five people killed and 20 other injured at Tinkhara Bazar in Sujanagar upazila on Dhaka-Pabna high in Pabna on Monday afternoon. Among the dead, three have been identified as Shankha Rani, 50, her daughter Bijlee Rani, 35, and Bijlee’s son Akash, 10. According to witnesses and injured passengers, the accident occurred when a Dhaka-bound passenger bus ‘Night Star’ collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction at about 12:45 pm, leaving five people dead on the spot and 30 others injured.”The truck driver lost control over the steering as one of the tyres punctured and the bus driver drove into the approaching truck resulting in the accident,” Sakil uddin Ahmed, Officer-Charge of Sujanagar Police Station told The New Nation. He said the injured were taken to Pabna Medical College Hospital.In Keraniganj, a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver and an unidentified boy were killed and three injured in a collision between a oil-laden lorry and the auto-rickshaw on Dhaka-Maowa highway in Hasnabad area of Dakhshin Keraniganj upazila on Monday morning.The auto-rickshaw driver was identified as Jewel, 40, a resident of Bara area of Dohar upazila.Aminul Islam, Sub-Inspector of South Keraniganj Police Station, said the accident took place on the highway around 11:20am, leaving the duo dead on the spot and three other injured. The injured were rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).In Biyanibazar, at least one person was killed and 30 other were injured in a road accident on Biyanibazar-Sylhet Highway on Monday morning.The deceased was identified as Mohammad Abdul Hafiz, 40. Out of the injured 30 passengers, conditions of three were stated to be critical. The injured passengers were admitted to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.At least 45 lives were lost just in last six days.Amid sharp rise in road fatalities the government clamped a ban on the movement of three-wheeler auto-rickshaws and non-motorised vehicles on highways from August 1 this year but its all efforts went into vain. The slow moving vehicles are still plying violating the ban throwing many people dead and injured everyday.The highways are Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Aricha-Faridpur-Barisal, Dhaka-Jessore-Khulna and the Dhaka-Tangail-Bogra- Rangpur-Dinajpur. There are 21,571-km long interconnected highways, which also connect remote areas of the country. Of them, 9,000-km long roads have been earmarked as national highway.When contacted, Professor Shamsul Hoque, former director of Accident Research Institute and teacher of BUET, held the government responsible for not taking the issue of reckless driving seriously.”As the fundamental work to reduce the road accident has not been done yet, the road crash on highways and roads will continue. The elements, which responsible for the road disaster, have not been removed,” he told The New Nation on Monday. Professor Hoque said BRTA, the regulatory body, has registered a total of 24,27,679 vehicles across the country but it issued license only to 14 lakh drivers.”Who are running the rest about 10,27,679 vehicles? We have repeatedly requested the BRTA to take necessary measures against those who don’t have driving license but the regulatory body doesn’t have any headache about this serious issue,” he added. He said if any person without having training drive the vehicle it is very simple that serious road accident may occur anytime.”The road-side trees, haat-bazaars and billboards obstruct the visibility of drivers and the passersby, which lead to road accident. But these elements have not been removed from both sides of the highways. In Bangladesh all the highways run through haat-bazaars, which is a threat to the safety,” he said. Professor Hoque added it has been the common feature of building households and other installations, including shops and industries, close to the highways. He said if service roads are not introduced to highways, slow moving and fast moving vehicles will bunch up which will make fast moving vehicles overtake and consequently fast moving vehicles will go on to the wrong lane while overtaking.Another expert, not to be named, said, BRTA should be put on trial as the organisation is solely responsible to ensure people’s safe journey.”Without arranging training, the BRTA is issuing driving license to unskilled persons in exchange of bribe,” he alleged.
