Sylhet Correspondent :
Unfit vehicles are plying on the Sylhet-Sunamgonj road, raising the risk of accidents and causing frequent gridlocks. These vehicles do not have the fitness certificates, meaning they dodge the fees for route permit and road taxes depriving the government of revenue. The problem on the road has mounted following the rush of passengers leaving for home ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr. Buses running with bad engine condition are seen often breaking down on the road and blocking the traffic for hours.
Sources said the drivers of most of these vehicles do not have licenses, route permits and fitness certificates or other necessary documents.
These vehicles go off roads during drives by mobile courts. But they return to normal operation as soon as the drives are over. Moreover, the vehicles are polluting the environment by releasing poisonous smoke and endangering the lives of the people. Some businessmen bought these vehicles from Dhaka at low cost. Currently, accident is taking place frequently everyday because of these vehicles, said locals.
Amina Begum said she along with her family lives in Sunamganj. She was going to her village home in Pagla of Sunamganj district by bus ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr as her children’s school is now closed for Ramzan holiday. The bus became out of order after two and a half hours of running on road. ‘My two-year-old daughter is crying for food’, she said.
This correspondent found workers of two workshops at Temukhi and Kumargown are passing busy time to repair the old and unfit buses.
Islam Ali, a worker at Udoyon Workshop, said they repaired a large number of old and unfit buses this year. ‘After five or six days, we can hand over some more uses to the owners’, he said.
Painter Munna is seen inscribing on newly painted old buses. He said he gets a good amount of money every year ahead of Eid for this work.
President of Sylhet Central Bus Terminal Selim Ahmed Folik said a few bus-owners are involved in it. ‘Steps will be taken in this connection. We will request them to stop plying their old and unfit buses,’ he added.
