M M Jasim :
Police have taken special measures including motorcycle patrolling to stop extortion and passengers’ assault on the highways across the country ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Highway Police have also asked its forces to work with utmost sincerity to prevent street-dacoity in the passenger coach and goods-laden trucks in a bid to make the home goers’ journey smooth and easy during the festival, officials said on Wednesday.
At the same time, the police will also take step to reduce traffic gridlock on the highways.
“All out efforts will be made to make the highways extortion free. To make the efforts perfect, the high officials of police will remain alert round-the-clock to deal with the problem,” Deputy Inspector-General of Highway Police Mollik Fakrul Islam said.
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Police have identified 40 risky spots and decided to deploy at least five additional police men at each spot to prevent extortion.
“The police will show zero tolerance to make the journey of the passengers smooth. Trucks and other heavy vehicles will not be allowed to ply three days before the Eid day. It will be continued one day after the Eid,” Superintended of Police (SP) of Chittagong AKM Hafiz Akhter said.
Meanwhile, the Police Headquarters has imposed a ban on stopping any vehicle on highways without any specific allegation or information and asked to take special measures to check collecting extra tolls.
It has also ordered, as special security measures, to use alternative Brahmanbaria-Comilla-Cantonment road if Dhaka-Chittagong Highway experiences traffic jam and urged the authorities concerned to keep ferry ready if Meghna and Daudkandi bridges become unfit for traffic movements in coordination of police.
The headquarter has advised to introduce separate routes for the vehicles in and out at Paturia, Daulotdia and Mawa ferry ghats while highway and district police have been asked to take special measures at all the entry points of Dhaka, Kanchpur, Gouripur, Sitakunda, Joydebpur crossing, Aricha, Daulatdia and Mawa to check nagging traffic jam in these areas. It has asked to take measures to set up ‘special awareness signboard’ at different accident-prone areas to check fatal accidents.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmud Khandker also ordered the senior police officers to stop plying of slow vehicles like Nasiman, Kariman and Bhatbhati on the highways in order reduce traffic jam and accidents on the highways, sources said.
The control rooms will remain open from July 8 to 10 at the police headquarters as well as all the police units, including district levels, to coordinate the movement of security officials. All the highway police officials have been asked to take special measures to check burglaries, theft, robbery, mugging and other crimes during the period.
