AS the aftermath of the countrywide student protest for road safety, people have been crowding offices of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to get valid documents where brokers and corrupt officials cut service seekers’ pocket avoiding different tests. News media reported that a surging number of people have been in a hurry to have new driving licence or for renewal of the old one or for having fitness certificate, leading to long queues at BRTA offices. Availing the situation, cliques of brokers, in collusion with a section of corrupt officials, are fleecing the service seekers.
Sufferers have alleged that if someone pays the broker, the works are done immediately without any hassle, otherwise it takes too long. Submission of application for learner driving licences at Mirpur office increased to more than 300 daily, which would not cross 100 earlier. The number of renewal of registrations also increased. Dhaka Metropolitan Police began ‘Traffic Week’ on Sunday to reinforce discipline on roads and highways, leading a huge number of drivers and owners to BRTA circle offices to get legal papers and update their licences and certificates. But service seekers complained about inadequate number of officials who were mostly slow and took hours to get the jobs done, so that the brokers take the opportunity of inefficient officials. A motorcyclist said that officially it takes Tk 2,545 to get a driving licence which can be got, even without passing tests, by paying the broker Tk 10,000.
We know when a system becomes corrupted it cannot bring any positive change. The youth revolt that jolted the country mainly for road safety essentially seeks standard driving license and actual fitness of vehicles, two major points of their nine-point demand.
