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Special drives leave a lot to be desired

Staff Correspondent
Special drives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) along with the communications ministry's 'coordinating' move to curb traffic jam in the capital, produced nothing tangible yet for frustrated commuters.
Official sources said there is no coordination between BRTA and DMP, although officially the agencies are working together for ensuring
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smooth traffic in the capital and for banishing old and unfit vehicles from the roads.
A high powered 12-member committee formed by the communications ministry and headed by its additional secretary, for coordinating the activities of relevant mobile courts and other agencies, also has been ineffective so far. as none has seen any worth -while activity of the committee since its formation, the sources added.
They however said already around 2.500 old buses and other unfit automobiles, and 4,000 rickshaws were seized from the dty'sroadsowrthelastthreeweeks
DMP BRIA. and Dhaka dis-tnct authorities haw been carrying out separate traffic jam curbing drives, and also occasional jointones.
At the directives of the communications ministry, Dhaka district authorities launched a special drive through deploying 13 mobile courts to detect unfit vehicles on roads, and to fine drivers for traffic rules violations.
Despite such measures and initiatives, most of the dty roads still remain jam-packed with vehicles stranded on queues causing sufferings for commuters in this humid month of Ramadan.
DMP in its special drive since August 9 seized around 2,500 unfit automobiles including buses and minibuses, while two BRIA mobile courts, operating since /Xugust 4, impounded over 200 vehicles and filed several
hundred cases in connection with traffic rules violations.
Executive Magistrate Alied Mainul of a mobile court set up by the Dhaka district authorities told The Daily Star that they only fine drivers who violate traffic rules.
’We are asked only to fine traffic rules violators. We don't have the capacity to seize any vehicle, neither do we have any tow truck for the purpose," the magistrate said.
Asked why the nagging traffic congestion has been remaining unchanged despite the special drives. DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque said. "As we seized a good number of unfit and old vehicles, a very few of those are currently seen on roads, because the remaining are being kept in garages by the owners. But still the city roads are not free of traffic jams."
"It means, only removal of old and unfit buses will not end traffic jams, the roads also need to be widened and new roads need to be constructed', he added saying "Registration of old personal vehicles also should be stopped."
The DMP commissioner also said, "Soon after the special drive was launched, owners and drivers of unfit vehicles managed fitness certificates from BRIA."
Asked about the mobile courts of BRTA and the initiative of the communications ministry, Shahidul Hoque said, "We've been conducting special drives since even before the communications ministry took its initiative."