DMP says it has no adequate manpower, logistical support to solve the problem
Illegal parking on city roads, reckless driving, lack of proper laws and weak execution of the existing ones cause traffic congestion in the capital city of Dhaka, said traffic management experts.
Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the existing law allows the owners of illegally parked vehicles to get away with a fine of just Tk. 200. “If we tow away those vehicles, they’ll stop illegal parking,” he asserted.
“Now, we use only wreckers to create panic among those who have parked illegally. If one car is towed away, the rest will immediately move,” Rahman said, adding that roads are clogged with illegally parked vehicles, blocking traffic movement.
From Banglamotor to Moghbazar and Mouchak to Moghbazar, vehicles are seen parked on either side of the road, occupying at least two-thirds of the thoroughfare.
In front of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bhaban to Hotel Sonargaon, private cars, microbuses and staff buses of some government offices are seen parked illegally.
The general secretary of Bangladesh Tours, Anisur Rahman, told The Independent: “We don’t have any parking place in front of our office, so we park our vehicles on the footpath, although we know it is illegal.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources said around 3,600 personnel of the traffic wing mainly control traffic movement at intersections, and they have little time to take action against illegal parking at other places in the city.
A traffic official deployed at the Paltan Intersection, told The Independent: “We, five traffic personnel, are deployed at the intersections for maintaining signals, and a traffic sergeant monitors the area.”
If any of them leaves the intersection for a while, chaos is created leading to accidents. So, he argues, it is quite impossible for them to check illegal parking away from the intersections.
A senior DMP official said the traffic department neither has adequate manpower, nor logistical support to solve the parking problem.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) sources said owing to lack of staff, they failed to ensure parking space at some buildings as per RAJUK approved plan.
In many cases, on completion of the highrises, the owners have built commercial centres on designated parking spaces and at basements.
An authorised official of RAJUK, referring to almost all the buildings on Sonargaon Road at Kataban, said several shops have been set up at the parking spaces, while the basements are being used as storerooms.
As per the new National Building Act of 2008, RAJUK has to issue occupancy certificates to the owners after inspecting parking management of the buildings. “No building owner is supposed to get any utility service connection without obtaining the certificate,” the official added.
Had the authorities taken steps as per the law, most city roads would have been free from illegal parking, he added.
-With The Independent input
