& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Awareness campaign on traffic rules launched

Drivers warned of fines, suspension of licences

Mukhlesur Rahman
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) yesterday launched a weeklong awareness campaign on traffic rules ■ and lane system, with a warning that drivers violating traffic rules will face heavy fines and suspension of their driving licences with effect from Decembers.
However, the authorities are yet to install traffic signal lights at many points in the
major roads.
"During the awareness campaign, which will continue up to December 7, we will try to make the people aware of traffic rules so that they can follow traffic signal lights and lanes while driving," DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque said.
"In the second phase, beginning on December 8, we will fine the drivers violating traffic rules Tk 1000 and their driving licences will be suspended for three months," he said at a discussion with the leaders of transport owners and workers' association in his office yesterday.
The DMP commissioner said they will seek the cooperation of the print and electronic media and cable TV operators in making their campaign effective and also distribute leaflets and posters.
Twelve teams of traffic police have been assigned to monitor the traffic situation and each team will be headed by deputy c^i^ioqei of, police.
On November 22, the DMP1 switched to traffic light signals and announced that major roads of the city will be divided into three lanes for different modes of vehicles in a bid to ease traffic jam.
There are traffic signal lights at 59 points in the city, but the authorities are yet to fix the number of more intersections where traffic signal light will be installed, sources at the Joint Commissioner of Traffic office said.
In a drive from August 9 to November 25, the traffic police seized 9,407 vehicles, including buses and minibuses, on various charges. Many of them are worn-out vehicles and others did not have road permits.
But the owners got back 8332 vehicles after paying fines and 445 others were returned on condition that these vehicles will not go back on the city streets. Now only 730 vehicles are lying at the PMP< usludy, .
’ Many city dwellers observed that return of tifSse vehicles to their owners will only add to the nagging traffic jams.
When asked, the DMP commissioner said the vehicles were returned due to lack of space.
The city dwellers also observed that the authorities concerned are issuing registration to a huge number of private cars without considering the capacity of roads.
According to Joint commissioner office sources, a total of 4,70,507 motor vehicles were registered during the period between 2003 and 2008, and 1,29,629 of them are private cars.
Executive Director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) AMB Shahjahan said over 10.6 lakh motor vehicles ply the city streets and 8000 of them are buses and minibuses.
There are about 2100 km roads in tire city, but only 250 km roads are fit for public transpon, fie added.