UNB, Dhaka :
An environmentalist group here on Tuesday urged the government to revise the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Act 2015 and Road Transport Act (RTA) 2015 before the final approval.
It came up with the call at a views-exchange meeting on ‘opinion on draft act to establish secure and environment-friendly road transport system’ held at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) sub-committee on transportation arranged the programme in collaboration with Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust).
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, Bapa said every year 12.5 lakh people are killed in road accidents around the world which costs 3 percent of the world GDP. Realising the matter, the green group said, the government has formulated two different laws – Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Act 2015 (approved by the cabinet) and Road Transport Act (RTA) 2015 (draft). But there is weakness and contradiction in the laws.
BRTA must collect, analyse and evaluate accident-related data to establish a secure and environment-friendly communications system, said speakers. Presenting the keynote paper, WBB Trust programme manager Maruf Hossain said the government has initiated the new laws in line with the existing Motor Vehicles Ordinance-1983 which is actually related to motorised vehicles only.
As like the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, there are no directives in draft laws for non-motorised vehicles, pedestrians and other locally made vehicles, he said.
An environmentalist group here on Tuesday urged the government to revise the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Act 2015 and Road Transport Act (RTA) 2015 before the final approval.
It came up with the call at a views-exchange meeting on ‘opinion on draft act to establish secure and environment-friendly road transport system’ held at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) sub-committee on transportation arranged the programme in collaboration with Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust).
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, Bapa said every year 12.5 lakh people are killed in road accidents around the world which costs 3 percent of the world GDP. Realising the matter, the green group said, the government has formulated two different laws – Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Act 2015 (approved by the cabinet) and Road Transport Act (RTA) 2015 (draft). But there is weakness and contradiction in the laws.
BRTA must collect, analyse and evaluate accident-related data to establish a secure and environment-friendly communications system, said speakers. Presenting the keynote paper, WBB Trust programme manager Maruf Hossain said the government has initiated the new laws in line with the existing Motor Vehicles Ordinance-1983 which is actually related to motorised vehicles only.
As like the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, there are no directives in draft laws for non-motorised vehicles, pedestrians and other locally made vehicles, he said.
