The government has decided not to allow rundown vehicles to ply roads in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan cities during the World Cup Cricket tournament to begin here on February 17.
The communications ministry on Thursday asked owners of vehicles to have their vehicles painted bright by February 10 or face legal action from February 11.
The drives against old vehicles will begin on March 1 in Chittagong where transport owners will have to give their vehicles a brighter look by February 28 as two World Cup matches are scheduled to be held in the port city on March 11 and 14.
The directives came at an inter-ministerial meeting on decoration of public transport and traffic management during the World Cup games in Dhaka and Chittagong, with communications minister Syed Abul Hossain in the chair.
‘Fitness certificate and route permit would be cancelled if rundown vehicles are found plying the city roads after the timeline,’ the communications minister said after the meeting.
State minister for home Shamsul Haque, who also attended the meeting among others, said that the authorities had worked out a traffic plan for ensuring smooth movement of vehicles during the World Cup. Effective measures, he mentioned, would be taken to contain traffic congestions, a major problem in the capital.
He told the meeting that beggars would be removed from the major thoroughfares in the capital and would be sent to the social welfare ministry’s asylums for the time being.
The state minister said that the beggars would be provided with food and daily allowances during the time.
Abul Hossain said that several mobile courts would conduct drives against rundown vehicles, including cars and buses, from February 11 in Dhaka and from March 1 in Chittagong.
All the weather-beaten vehicles must be painted afresh to run in the cities during the international event the country was hosting for the first time, said an official who attended the meeting.
Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will host the World Cup Cricket 2011.
A home affairs ministry meeting on January 25 asked the authorities concerned to free the Dhaka city thoroughfares of beggars and hawkers during the World Cup Cricket matches for hassle-free movement of the guests and players from home and abroad.
