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Road accidents claimed 17,311 lives in 10 yrs
Road accidents numbering about 30,000 claimed 17,31 f lives in the country in 10 years till 1996 while annual national loss from the accidents Is estimated at about Tk 112.5 crore, reports UNB.
This was stated by Prof Dr Alamglr Mojibul Hoque of BUETwhlle presenting tne keynote paper at a seminar on Prevention of Road Accident' held at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday under the auspices of Consumer Forum (CF).
Quoting a recent survey. Dr Hoque said in just 11 months from June 1996 a total of 4,721 road accidents took place in the country leaving 2.607 people killed and 4.554 injured.
In 1994, he said, a total of 1,597 people were killed in 3,013 accidents Increasing the fatality index of Bangladesh that year to 85.58 per 10.000 vehicles which was among the highest in the world.
Dr Hoque said a research carried out at BUET revealed that about 20 per cent of the road accidents occur in the metropolitan areas of Dhaka. Chittagong and Khulna whereas 80 per cent in the rural sections of tne main highway system.
He Identified delects in road features, adverse road environment and lack of proper traffic management that included lack of implementation of laws relating to traffic accidents as the major causes of accidents.
The BUET professor suggested setting up of a separate Traffic Secretariat with strong financial and personnel resources for formulating and implementing pragmatic traffic improvement schemes.
Addressing the seminar. Home Minister Rafiqul Islam said high speed and overtaking as major causes of road accidents. Government would soon take step to control high speed and overtaking, he added.
The Home Minister said 30 highway patrol cars will be engaged soon to control the high-
way traffic.
Referring to public harassments while going for fitness certificates of vehicles at the BRTA. the minister said government is planning to decentralise this system.
Communications Minister Anwar Hossain said the country has to depend on the World Bank and the IMF to construct roads, but they did not want or understand the actual requirements and necessity of the country.
He stressed the need for strict implementation of traffic rules to reduce road accidents
BRTA Chairman N* Hussain said a plan has been taken up for road traffic which will be implemented within next two years. Five modern inspection centres will be set up by October next year and of those two will be in Dhaka.
Prof Zerina Rahman Khan of Public Administration of Dhaka University. CF Vice-President Borhan Uddin Ahmed. Prof Mizanur Rahman of Law Department of DU. film actor Ullas Kanchan. CF General Secretary Dilruba Halder. President of Truck Owners Association Christopher Gomez and Truck Sramik Leader Ismail Hossain took part in the discussion. CF President Ataur Rahman presided.