THE authorities concerned on Sunday constituted a 15-member committee with the inclusion of former minister, who was widely blamed for deliberately taking the side of unruly transport workers in different times. Now, the same old person as a committee member would give recommendations for preventing accidents and bringing discipline in the roads. What’s most surprising is that who are often accused of making the road transport sector indisciplined, the authorities now put trust on them to bring discipline in this sector. Hilarious enough to see the alleged problem makers have got responsibility to solve problems. We must say expert and sincere persons should be given the task to give recommendations for road safety. It would be harmful if any vested quarter gets opportunity to interfere here. Road safety is not an easy task, it’s very critical.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister announced the formation of the new committee after the 26th meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC). The inclusion of one former minister and another former state minister along with some transport leaders in the committee creates confusion about the sincerity of the authorities. It seems that political consideration has got highest priority than the expertise. We can recall that hours after two college students killed by a speeding bus in the capital in July last year, the former minister smirked when reporters sought his reaction as a transport leader. At one stage, the authorities had to pass the Road Transport Act-2018 in September last year with relatively stringent punishment for drivers for road accidents. But the transport owners and workers’ federations led by the said former minister observed a two-day strike on October 28-29 to press home their eight-point demand. Their demands included revoking the Tk 5 lakh fine for causing road accidents, making all accident-related cases bailable and reduce the mandatory educational qualifications from class-VIII to class-V for getting a driving licence. Five months after its passage, the law is yet not implemented properly due to pressure from transport federations.
The authorities concerned should be honest to devise a comprehensive action plan to ensure road safety involving experts of the relevant field irrespecting their political affiliations.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister announced the formation of the new committee after the 26th meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC). The inclusion of one former minister and another former state minister along with some transport leaders in the committee creates confusion about the sincerity of the authorities. It seems that political consideration has got highest priority than the expertise. We can recall that hours after two college students killed by a speeding bus in the capital in July last year, the former minister smirked when reporters sought his reaction as a transport leader. At one stage, the authorities had to pass the Road Transport Act-2018 in September last year with relatively stringent punishment for drivers for road accidents. But the transport owners and workers’ federations led by the said former minister observed a two-day strike on October 28-29 to press home their eight-point demand. Their demands included revoking the Tk 5 lakh fine for causing road accidents, making all accident-related cases bailable and reduce the mandatory educational qualifications from class-VIII to class-V for getting a driving licence. Five months after its passage, the law is yet not implemented properly due to pressure from transport federations.
The authorities concerned should be honest to devise a comprehensive action plan to ensure road safety involving experts of the relevant field irrespecting their political affiliations.
