UNB, Dhaka :
Even 13 years after its formation, the highway police have failed to be an effective force to restore discipline and reduce road fatalities on national highways for lack of sufficient manpower and logistics, said transport experts.
They said, the government is now using 2,863 members of the highway police mainly for security reasons as they mostly check vehicles for recovering drugs or maintaining law and order since they are not properly equipped to enforce traffic rules.
Talking to UNB, director of BUET’s Accident Research Institute (ARI) Prof Moazzem Hossain, Prof Shamsul Hoque of its Civil Engineering department and general secretary of the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) Ashis Kumar Dey advised the government to take steps for the modernisation of the highway police and increasing its manpower so that it can help reduce road accidents, violation of traffic rules and tailbacks.
The highway police started its journey in June 2005 as a separate unit of Bangladesh Police to enforce law and combat crimes and accidents on highways and keep those safe for passengers.
Contacted, Prof Moazzem said, the highway police now cannot play any important role in enforcing law and checking road accidents for lack of manpower, proper logistics and technological support.
Mentioning that at least 40,000 people have been killed and 60,0000 others got crippled in road accidents across the country over the last five years, he said the government should strengthen the capacity of the highway police to reduce the road accidents.
Moazzem said the government can install Radar Speed-enforcement Camera in every one/two kms of the national highways so that the highway police can keep the entire highways and all vehicles under their constant surveillance and take quick action.
“These cameras will be able to sensor the speed and number plates of vehicles even
Even 13 years after its formation, the highway police have failed to be an effective force to restore discipline and reduce road fatalities on national highways for lack of sufficient manpower and logistics, said transport experts.
They said, the government is now using 2,863 members of the highway police mainly for security reasons as they mostly check vehicles for recovering drugs or maintaining law and order since they are not properly equipped to enforce traffic rules.
Talking to UNB, director of BUET’s Accident Research Institute (ARI) Prof Moazzem Hossain, Prof Shamsul Hoque of its Civil Engineering department and general secretary of the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) Ashis Kumar Dey advised the government to take steps for the modernisation of the highway police and increasing its manpower so that it can help reduce road accidents, violation of traffic rules and tailbacks.
The highway police started its journey in June 2005 as a separate unit of Bangladesh Police to enforce law and combat crimes and accidents on highways and keep those safe for passengers.
Contacted, Prof Moazzem said, the highway police now cannot play any important role in enforcing law and checking road accidents for lack of manpower, proper logistics and technological support.
Mentioning that at least 40,000 people have been killed and 60,0000 others got crippled in road accidents across the country over the last five years, he said the government should strengthen the capacity of the highway police to reduce the road accidents.
Moazzem said the government can install Radar Speed-enforcement Camera in every one/two kms of the national highways so that the highway police can keep the entire highways and all vehicles under their constant surveillance and take quick action.
“These cameras will be able to sensor the speed and number plates of vehicles even
during dense fog. Highway police will be able to detect those who violate the speed limit and traffic rules and punish them automatically by sending tickets through SMS or by any other digital means,” he added.
Shamsul Hoque said, “The highway police should be given necessary authority and support so that they can strongly check the violation of traffic rules, chaos and crimes on the highway and punish the errant drivers.”
He said, the highway police now cannot effectively prevent the movement of non-motorised vehicles, violation of traffic rules, overtaking, traffic disorder and plying of unfit vehicles for lack of manpower.
