Crackdown on illegal vehicles : Home-bound passengers suffer, PM’s motorcade caught in traffic jam

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) yesterday launched a special drive “Operation Clean Street” in the city in a bid to ease traffic congestion during the holy month of Ramzan.
On the other hand due to the operation clean street the small number of passenger laden vehicles were on the streets putting the home bound people before the Ifrari to untold miseries.
People in large numbers were seen returning home from work places to join the Iftar with members of the families on foot and some riding rickshaw vans.
Tens of thousands people waiting on the streets for vehicles but they were not getting any transport. People were heard critical of operation clean street at a wrong time and unplanned manner. They said before launching the programme authorities should be sought cooperation of those involved in the transport sector including the owners and workers.
Additional Secretary Shafiq Alam Mehedi, in-charge of roads and railways departments, and DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haq together inaugurated the operation clean street in front of BG press.
Earlier, a 12-member committee was formed to supervise the operation by mobile courts for chasing unfit and unlicensed vehicles off the streets.
Police earlier launched a drive against the 20-year-old buses which were plying on city roads defying the government’s order.
The committee members witnessed the activities of a mobile court in Tejgaon area of the city. The mobile court realized Tk 14,200 in fine and arrested seven people and 20. They also seized vehicles during their drive till yesterday.
DMP Commissioner Shahidul Haq said law enforcement is a normal duty of police and they regularly realize fine from vehicles for violating traffic rules and not having valid documents. Police seized 1600 vehicles in the last week and 20 mobile courts led by magistrates will conduct the `clean street operation’, he said.
Earlier, on August 12, the DMP commissioner called upon the authorities of city’s educational institutions to close their institutions after the 15th of Ramzan as a measure to reduce the traffic congestion in the city.
Around 50,000 buses and minibuses ply on the streets of the city. Of the vehicles, 50 percent are 15 to 20 years old. Besides, 1,725 buses did not appear for fitness certificate for long, official sources said.
Increase in the number of vehicles everyday, lack of adequate manpower, faulty automatic signal and tendency of ignoring traffic rules are the main causes of traffic jams.
Besides absence of direct east-west roads through the city, lack of mass transport are described as main reasons behind the traffic problems, and as many as 20 railway crossings in different parts of the city are adding to the traffic gridlock.
Meanwhile, Terrible traffic congestion that has made the city life miserable for the last few days also delayed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s arrival at the PMO in Tejgaon area yesterday.
Sheikh Hasina, who usually comes to her office in time, had to wait quite some time on the Sheraton-Farmgate road as her motorcade got stuck up in the traffic tailback.

Courtesy of The Daily Star