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Half-baked digital dreams
**With 12 tag-reading devices in operation in a country that, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), has more than 2.1 million registered motor vehicles, measuring the effectiveness of those devices is not even worth writing a sentence on.**
IN yet another classic case of bungling up what should otherwise have been a very helpful project, the government has expended Tk. 130 crore of tax payers' hard earned cash on "digital" number plates. They may be digital in terms of technology, but since associated systems and equipment have neither been procured nor put into operation, the much-hyped about digitalisation of vehicular
number plates is stuck in the mud. As per the lead item in The Daily Star printed on September 22, "the government has been forcing people to buy recto-reflecting number plates and RFID tags for their vehicles under a Tk. 600 crore scheme that does the vehicle owners no good. Owners of cars, buses, minibuses, microbuses, sports utility vehicles, trucks and other large vehicles are charged Tk. 3,652 each while those of motorbikes and three-wheelers like auto-rickshaws have to pay Tk. 1,805 for the tags and the new number plates."
Again, going by what has been published in the report, about 400,000 vehicles have been outfitted with these plates and the primary objective of going "digital” was to help authorities track down stolen vehicles. It was envisaged at the time of project design that the new plates would serve a number of purposes; with visibility up to 40 feet away and working in conjunction with tag reading devices that could read vital information from the plates up to 11 metres away, the installation of such plates, was hoped, would change the way law enforcement would work to crack down on crime involving auto vehicles. The reality has worked out in a different manner altogether. With 12 tag-reading devices in operation in a country that, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), has more than 2.1 million registered motor vehicles, measuring the effectiveness of those devices is not even worth writing a sentence on. The tags that are drawing so much flak, i.e. Radio Frequency (RFID) tags, do serve all the purposes of identification for purposes beyond law enforcement issues in other countries where the technology has been successfully implemented.
For instance, if we look at the State of California, where a Democrat Senator named Curren Price has championed the cause of digital number plates. Bill # SB 1453 (amended) was moved to add Section 1656.6 to the Vehicle Code that allowed for a host of changes to be brought about. Digital plates under the amended allow authorities [Section 2. Section 1656.6 is added]:
"1656.6. (a) The department may consider the use and development of existing or emerging technologies for the creation of a digital electronic license plate for the purpose of generating revenue for the department and state." The Bill goes on to state how digital plates may be used both as a vehicle identifier and the effects of "the use of the digital electronic license plates on traffic safety, including, in consultation with the Department of California Highway Patrol, a consideration of the onroad safety impacts of digital electronic license plates through on-road testing of these plates authorised by the Department of the California Highway Patrol." The bill adds in detail precisely how each step of the procurement procedure and vendor selection will take place and how costs will be estimated and allocations made; how users will benefit and what corrective measures will be undertaken by the Department for its successful design and implementation.
What the above essentially illustrates is that if we are really serious about change, and that too for the better, the whole issue of digitisation needs to be incorporated into law. Only then can the various bodies involved starting from the ministry of communication, the BRTA and law enforcement agencies can work together to provide a solution for monies expended. These are public funds that have been expended. Tax payers' hard earned money. Not some syndicated loan from financial institutions. Tk. 130 crore may seem a pittance in the eyes of policymakers, but its hard earned money for law abiding citizens, each of whom would certainly like to know where his / her Tk. 3,652 went and why.
As things stand now, the Tk. 600 crore project portrayed as “yet another step towards Digital Bangladesh" is in deep trouble. In the sense that the original idea behind it was to use the technology to check crimes being committed using vehicles, apprehend criminals involved in snatching cars and motorcycles which in turn would be used to commit further crimes. Why do we not see the successful implementation of the project in Bangladesh? There is hardly any coordination between the various government bodies and also the lack of incorporation of a global positioning system (GPS) in the system design does not help matters. It would be helpful for all concerned, including both authorities and the more than 2.1 million owners of vehicles, if the project was better designed and implemented in earnest. Otherwise, we remain "digital" in name and "analogue" in reality and a project initiated in good faith turns into the laughing stock of the country.
The writer Is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.