To ensure road safety, the government yesterday launched a massive countrywide drive against unfit vehicles and drivers who either do not have licences or carry fake ones.
In the first day of the clampdown, at least 115 cases were filed, fines ofTk 2.30 lakh was imposed, two drivers were jailed and a bus was impounded yesterday.
In the capital, yesterday's drive was earned out at four points - Cabtoli, Kakoli, Karwan Bazar and Manik Miah Avenue — by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
On the other hand, Dhaka district administration launched the drives at Asadgate, Shahbagh and Babubazar.
Hearing the news, owners of a huge number of public transports refrained from plying their vehicles on the Dhaka streets, creating immense public sufferings.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday visited Manik Miah Avenue when the drive was being carried out there.
The drive has been launched as unfit vehicles and unlicensed drivers remained to be the main reasons behind road accidents, he told reporters. Apart from punishing the offenders, the drive also aims to create public awareness about frequent road crashes, the minister added.
Usually, the BRTA conducts such drives only once or twice in a week in the capital, Quader said, adding that yesterday's one was the first countrywide all-out drive against unfit vehicles and unlicensed drivers. "It is a continuous process," he said, as he was asked when the drive would end.
About the public sufferings following the drive, Quader said: "We cannot get rid of the crisis overnight. If we want to get a long-term benefit, we will have to endure some sufferings." "We cannot allow unfit vehicles to ply streets year after year. Even, the transport owners and workers do not have any objection to the drive," the minister claimed.
While Quader was talking to the reporters, two buses with passengers on their roofs were going through the area, in stark violation of the law.
The law enforcers could stop only one of the vehicles.
Later, the driver was awarded 15 days' imprisonment as he had no license and fined Tk 1,000 for carrying passengers on the bus roof, said Abul Basar, executive magistrate at BRTA
Meanwhile, many BRTA officials were yesterday seen distributing leaflets at different places of the capital to raise public awareness about obeying traffic rules and taking road safety measures.
On the other hand, due to the shortage of transports, thousands of people were seen waiting at different bus stoppages in Dhaka for hours.
"Because of today's [Monday] drive, many bus owners did not operate their vehicles on the streets fearing filing of cases against them and being fined," said Samdani Ahmad, office secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Samity.
Currently, more than 21 lakh vehicles are registered with BRTA. Over 3.13 lakh different types of unfit vehicles are plying across the country. Of them, over 93,000 are in Dhaka, according to BRTA sources.
Following some recent road accidents, road transport and bridges ministry on October 28 sent a letter to the cabinet division requesting it to take necessary measures for the drive.
Later, the cabinet division directed all the DCs to initiate the drive. Similar drives were also carried in other districts by the respective district administrations yesterday.
The roads and highways of different districts, including Pabna, Tangail and Rajshahi, witnessed a very low number of vehicles yesterday.
During the drive, at least 37 cases were filed in Rajshahi, 36 in Mymensingh, and 14 in Pabna, reports our correspondents.
Meanwhile, a battery-run easy bike driver died of cardiac arrest in Feni while the illegal vehicle was being bulldozed by the district administration.