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Transport to be made available for low income people: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the operation of 33 double-decker buses of state-owned BRTC

UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said a major aim of her government was to make the transport available for the low income group using the facilities of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC).
She asked the authorities concerned to take steps and work with devotion toward this end and hoped that the BRTC would be turned into a more modern and multipurpose service-oriented organisation in future.
“I never think about the plight of the rich people in the luxurious cars during a traffic jam. I always think about the sufferings of the middle income, low income and poor people on the roads,” Hasina said while inaugurating the operation of 33 double-decker buses of state-owned BRTC at a function at her office.
She said the existing system of special bus services during various important events, including Eid vacation and Biswa Ijtema, would be strengthened
further in the future.
The premier said the standard of BRTC service was increasing day by day through the introduction of e-ticketing and prepaid card system in the cities which would be extended across the country in phases.
Hasina said the inter-district commuter train service should be strengthened to reduce pressure on the roads.
She said the government gave priority to railway and river communications to reduce travel cost, save time and ensure safe journey.
She mentioned that the 33 double-deckers, which were put into operation yesterday, were part of the 290 buses
purchased from India under a 24 million US dollar project in a bid to ease transport crisis.
Besides, she said, import of 100 single-decker air-conditioned buses and 50 articulated buses from India was under process while 500 trucks would be added to the BRTC truck fleet.
She mentioned that 275 singledecker CNG-run buses were imported from China, while 255 modern AC and non-AC CNG-run buses were procured from South Korea, which were plying different routes in the capital.
The premier directed the BRTC authorities to realise the arrears of the organisation through arbitration and legal methods.
She noted that international bus service was introduced on Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka and Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka routes while discussion was underway to introduce bus services on Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka, Dhaka-Shillong-Dhaka, and Dhaka-Guwahati-Dhaka routes.