Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday directed the concerned bodies not to provide any kind of fuel from the gas stations to the vehicles, fitness whereof is not renewable for the next two months or till fitness is renewed.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other respondents have been directed to take appropriate actions so that the un-fit cars cannot buy fuel.
The High Court bench of Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice K M Hafizul Alam passed the order after hearing a writ petition.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) submitted a report in the court yesterday respecting the High Court’s earlier order.
BRTA said in its report that 89,269 vehicles only have collected fitness certificates in two months — August and September – across the country following a High Court directive. More than 3.9 lakh vehicles are still running without valid fitness documents, according to the BRTA report.
Meanwhile, another report has been submitted to the High Court on behalf of the police department.
After holding hearing on the reports, the court passed the order.
Advocate Moin Feroji and Md Rafiul Islam appeared in the court on behalf of BRTA while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik stood for the state.
Earlier on June 23, the same High Court bench asked Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to submit a detailed report to it on registered but unfit vehicles, their registration numbers and names of vehicle owners.
BRTA will have to submit the report in one month, the court said adding that the authorities must include detailed particulars of the drivers who have no valid driving license in the report.
The court also asked the BRTA to explain in the report the steps that have been taken against the unfit vehicles and unlicensed drivers.
Complying with the High Court order of June 23, BRTA on July 24 submitted a report in the court which said a total of 4,79,320 vehicles without valid fitness certificates were running on the roads across the country.
Among the vehicles, 2,61,113 are operating in Dhaka division, 1,19,588 in Chattogram division, 26,240 in Rajshahi, 6,588 in Rangpur, 15,668 in Khulna, 44,805 in Sylhet, and 5,338 in Barishal division, the report mentioned.
On that day the High Court directed the owners of the vehicles without valid fitness documents to collect their fitness certificates in two months, starting from August 1.
If an owner fails to do so, his or her vehicles would not be allowed to ply on the roads after September 30, the HC also said, adding that it would pass necessary order to this effect during the next hearing on October 15 which deferred on October 23.
