THE New Nation on Friday in a report said roads and highways have virtually turned into death traps at many places and at least 23 people including seven members of a family were killed in four separate road accidents in Gazipur, Tangail, Sylhet and Brahmanbaria districts on the previous day. At Madaripur four people were killed on Dhaka-Barisal highway on the day. On Friday alone 32 people died in road accidents prompting panic allover. People blamed reckless driving, plying of unfit vehicles in the highways and driving in excessive speed as some reasons for those accidents. As it appears accidents are taking place not only for dilapidated road conditions, business greed of transport owners operating unfit vehicles under political cover and their workers who want to run as many trips to mint money by charging extra fares are also equally responsible for the highway tragedies.
Drivers drive in haste to cover long distance. It partly explains the Sunday early hours’ accident in the western link-road of Bangabandhu Bridge where 17 people were killed when two buses collided head-on. Five people were also killed at the place on Monday midnight in another accident. It shows the extent of anarchy which is gripping the highways over the past few days.
People’s safety in the highways is the responsibility of the government and it requires round the clock monitoring on roads and highways. It appears that the authorities concerned, after an accident start police cases only to cause more harassment to victims’ families without caring to punish the ones responsible for it. In our view, responsibility should be borne by the government and particularly by police and concerned highway officials tasked with ensuring passengers’ safety. So many accidents can’t go unpunished.
The sharp rise in accidents on daily basis on return Eid journey is sending shock waves to the nation. Accidents are taking place because roads and highways are dilapidated at most places with big potholes filled with water as it was raining ceaselessly for the past several days. The government has so far failed to complete the widening of Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways to four lanes over the past few decades. It has also failed to widen narrow roads at many places which are responsible for skidding of buses in roadside ditches.
Alone at the western link-road of Bangabandhu Bridge, 71 people were reportedly killed in road accidents over the past seven months. Local people are campaigning for widening the road as it turns out to be most dangerous causing frequent accidents. But the authorities concerned are reportedly not paying heed to their demand prompting many to wonder how many more deaths would justify the widening of the road on the west side of the Bangabandhu Bridge.
What is moreover advisable is that the role of the Highway Police must be strengthened to control reckless driving and enforce compliance of driving rules. The government must also make sure the proper road condition and undertake training of drivers by their union to let them understand that they have the responsibility to save the people’s life.
