Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), on Wednesday, put forward 43-point recommendations, including constructing necessary terminals for parking, and specific stations beside roads, with a view to reduce traffic congestion in the city. The recommendations were placed before a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of home affairs, held at Sangsad Bhaban, in the presence of committee chairman Mohammad Sayedul Haque. Of the recommendations, the DMP suggested implementing 22 in the short-term, 13 in mid-term, and eight in long-term, according to meeting sources.
The standing committee chief said the committee would request the communications ministry to take necessary measures to implement the recommendations.
In his proposals, joint commissioner (traffic), Md Abdullah Al-Mahmud, recommended fixing a ceiling of registration for new cars under a limit, removal of old vehicles, and running of buses across Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
The short-term recommendations include seizing all 80,000 illegal rickshaws plying in the city, operating bus services across DU and BUET, to reduce traffic congestion at Shahbagh area, introducing a one-hour gap between office and school timings—with offices operating between 10am and 6pm, instead of 9am to 5pm.
The short-term recommendations also include ensuring three supply lines at petrol pumps, to increase gas capacity in CNG refueling systems, and shifting of stations that create traffic congestion and constructing separate bus terminal for city buses.
The DMP also recommended removal of shops, passengers sheds, and bill-boards that create a barrier to using footpaths, imposing compulsory conditions to educational institutions to arrange own transport systems, to reduce use of private transports.
The mid-term recommendations include constructing flyovers at important intersections, foot over-bridges at level crossings, shifting of all educational institutions, hospitals and garment units that were built in an unplanned manner, to outside of Dhaka, and removal of wholesale markets from the city.
The report also mentioned that only one kilometre of new road has been constructed in the last three years. Besides, it questioned the role of Hatirjheel project in reducing trafic congestion, due to the projects technical faults.
The long-term proposals include establishing a research centre to build a modern city, introducing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in assitance with the World Bank, and building satellite towns near the capital.
The standing committee recommended applying all-out efforts to resist snatching, pick-pocketing, extortion and other criminal offense, during Eid-ul-Fitr.
-With The Independent input
