News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Those responsible for public transport policymaking in the country do not use public transport in the capital, so they do not understand the sufferings people endure, Road Safety Foundation (RSF) Chairman AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed said today (2 November).
The chairman of the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, stated today (2 November) that those in charge of formulating the nation’s public transportation policies do not use the capital’s public transportation system, so they are unaware of the hardships people face.
“The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA] is a technical organisation that regulates road transport. In most cases, its chairman is appointed from the civil service. They do not have practical knowledge of roads or motor vehicles,” Mahbub told a press conference at its office in the capital.
The RSF chairman suggested that the BRTA should have a road and motor vehicle expert or an academician as its chairman, as well as ensuring qualified manpower in the institution.
He also called for setting up a training centre for drivers under the BRTA.
According to RSF, private vehicles can transport only 11% of the total passengers but those vehicles occupy 70% of the roads.
“It is gross discrimination against the common people,” Mahbub said.
Mahbub also stated that there has been no sustainable road transport strategy in Bangladesh for 53 years and the Road Transport Act-2018 has not been implemented even in six years.
“A vested quarter has turned the entire public transport sector into a place of extortion and corruption through politicisation. The BRTA is unable to take any effective action against the group due to institutional weakness,” he said.
