UNB, Dhaka :
The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft of the ‘Metro Rail Bill 2014’ in a bid to give a legal framework to the overall activities, including operations, control and regulations, of the proposed Metro Rail Project.
The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said a Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 6) is a priority project of the government and a public limited company, ‘Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited’ (DMTCL), has already been formed to operate the metro rail once the project is implemented.
The DMTCL will be supervised by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority and the proposed law is being framed to give a legal framework to its overall operations, control and regulations.
The six districts of greater Dhaka-Dhaka, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj and Narayanganj-would come under the purview of the law and similar MRT projects in the future will also come under the law.
The proposed law kept the provisions of maximum 10 years of imprisonment and
Tk 1 crore as fine for operating metro rail without any license, but if it is a government company, then it needs not to pay license fees.
The Cabinet Secretary said the proposed route of the MRT Line-6 is Uttara 3rd Phase-Pallabi-Rokeya Sarani-Khamarbari-Farmgate-Hotel Sonargaon-Shahbagh-TSC-Doel Chattar-Topkhana Road-Bangladesh Bank.
There will also be 16 stations-Uttara North, Uttara Central, Uttara South, Pallabi, IMT, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Taltala, Agargaon, Bijoysarani, Farmgate, Sonargaon Hotel, National Museum, Doel Chattar, Bangabandhu National Stadium and Bangladesh Bank-for the MRT Line-6.
Answering to a question, Musharraf said a special provision would be there in the law for land acquisition keeping similarity with the Padma Bridge Project and Bangabandhu Bridge Project.
There will be separate committees for providing licenses of metro rail and fixing the fares. Executive Director of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority will be the head of the committee for giving license. The proposed law also kept a provision for constructing and operating of the metro rail under PPP.
The day’s Cabinet Meeting also gave final approval to the draft of the ‘Official Vehicles (Regulation of Use) Bill, 2014’ in line with the earlier Cabinet directives of bringing the annulled ordinances promulgated during the tenures of two military governments, which was declared illegal by the higher court later.
