Mohammadi News Agency News – Features – Photo
MNA Editorial Desk: A huge number of unfit motor vehicles are plying on the city roads of Dhaka in violation of set laws and posing threat to commuters’ safety, besides contributing to traffic congestion and environmental hazards.
The suffering public is only too aware of the total lawlessness in the transport sector. The alarming number of vehicles on the road without fitness is an indication of the appalling state of affairs.
The road communication system is proceeding in a totally uncontrolled and undisciplined manner. It seems as if there is no one in charge of the sector. Neither the communications ministry nor the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) nor even the law enforcement agencies seem to bother about the sector.
Vehicles without fitness are being given fitness certificates, and vehicles without fitness certificates are also on the roads. The law enforcement agencies that should be taking measures against them are turning a blind eye.
The city dwellers expressed concern about traveling by such unfit public transport because of hazardous journey. Most human haulers were worn-out, but their owners charged passengers as much fare as that by the air-conditioned buses, observed the commuter.
Under the very nose of law enforcers and BRTA authority, the vehicles ply across the city roads, emitting black smoke only to pollute the atmosphere. Taking unfit vehicles off the roads is crucial to improving road safety as more people get killed in crashes involving such vehicles.
Many of these vehicles have fitness certificates even though they are unfit while some don’t have the document at all or have expired papers or are entirely illegal.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority issues fitness certificates just by visual inspection of vehicles. Many unfit vehicles slip through and some allegedly pay bribes to get through.
An Automated Vehicles Monitoring system was set up in 2000 to properly test a vehicle for fitness but it is not used. In Bangladesh many drivers carry fake driving licenses and there is practically no limit on how many hours they are allowed to drive at a stretch. Both these contribute to road crashes.
