Staff Reporter :
The Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) is on hard-line to stop plying of three-wheelers and slow-moving vehicles on the national highways across the country.
The division on Tuesday sent a letter signed by Joint-Secretary (RTHD) Kamrul Ahsan to the Chairman of Bangladesh Road and Transport Authority, Cabinet Secretary, Inspector General of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Highway) to take measures in this regard.
It will also make clear to all concern authorities that the vehicles with a speed below 60km per hour are not allowed to ply on highways and will ask to take stern action if the slow moving vehicles do not follow the direction.
According to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry officials, most of the accidents occurred due to the slow moving vehicles. So, the government will not give any scope to ply such vehicles on the highways.
In 2014, the High Court banned local human haulers like Bhotbhoti, Nasiman and Kariman from the highways after they had led to a number of crashes and deaths.
The government had also taken stern measures to implement that order in 2015.
But the plying of the unauthorised three wheelers as well as horse carts, bull carts, tractors, power tillers and rickshaws continues on the highways.
The drivers of bus and trucks said they face a lot of problems due to these slow moving vehicles.
They said that many accidents on the highways occurred due to these slow moving vehicles.
Seeking anonymity, a driver of JR Paribahan said, “Sometimes these vehicles ply on the highway in such a way that it is very difficult to control the bus.”
We have been demanding ban on such vehicles for long time blaming the small vehicles for most of the accidents, he said.
On the other hand, the drivers of slow moving vehicles said that the ban would harm hundreds of owners of auto-rickshaws and transport workers and their families.
“We have no alternative but to operate the vehicles for a living. If police stop us, we pay them money,” claimed a battery-run easy-bike driver who makes regular trips to Medical intersection from Modern intersection on Rangpur-Dinajpur highway.
