Dhaka's streets overrun by unfit vehicles posing challenges to traffic management

Despite government initiatives to regulate vehicles, unfit and unregistered vehicles continue to dominate the streets of Dhaka, raising road safety concerns and  the risk of accidents.

Officials said authorities have the capacity to act only against registered vehicles that lack fitness clearance. But, thousands of unregistered vehicles, operating without undergoing mandatory fitness tests, remain unchecked, contributing to traffic casualties and chaos.

A visit to various routes by a UNB correspondent and conversations with traffic police made this troubling scenario clear.

Law enforcement officials admitted their helplessness in addressing the issue, as many commercially operated vehicles bypass the required fitness procedures.

"Filing cases alone is not solving the problem," traffic police officers remarked, adding that vehicle owners and operators often exploit loopholes to continue their operations.

In a bid to curb the menace, the Police Headquarters issued a directive on 29 April, instructing all field-level units not to allow unfit vehicles on the roads. But, the ground reality tells a different story.

Government data reveals that as of 15 April this year, some 6.17 lakh vehicles failed to undergo the mandatory fitness tests.

Abdur Rahim, a regular passenger of a bus named 'Lovely' that operates between the Signboard and Aminbazar areas, said, "The operators don't care about fitness because they believe it can be managed anyway."

Mohammad Hridoy, a private car driver, explained that while fitness certificates must be renewed annually, owners often delegate the task to third parties due to the perceived hassle.

Jamiruddin, a driver, candidly said that they manage to circumvent fitness regulations on the road.

A duty sergeant, requesting anonymity, admitted that compromises are sometimes made to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles. "It's common knowledge how the transport sector operates," he said.

Khondaker Nazmul Hassan, additional commissioner of DMP Traffic, emphasised their commitment to ensuring vehicle fitness.

"In the last three months, we have filed 23,000 cases for the absence of fitness certificates. Commercially operated vehicles are more likely to lack fitness compared to private cars," he said.

He added that the authorities are actively controlling the situation through regular checks and impounding unfit vehicles.

"We have impounded more vehicles than our capacity, especially those over 20 years old. Some vehicles were returned to their owners after due process, but they must comply with fitness requirements before operating again," he said.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) mandates annual fitness checks and certificate renewals for all vehicles. Operating without a valid fitness certificate is a punishable offence that may result in fines and imprisonment.

Stakeholders, however, have raised concerns about BRTA's capacity to address the issue effectively, citing manpower shortages.

Bus operators said that 75 companies run 3,974 buses in Dhaka, while 120 operators oversee more than 5,000 buses nationwide.

A private car owner with a vehicle between 1501cc and 2000cc must now pay Tk 50,000 as Advance Income Tax (AIT), up from the previous Tk 30,000, in addition to the costs of obtaining fitness clearance.

The consequences of unfit vehicles are dire, as the rate of road accidents continues to climb.

BRTA statistics reveal 4,153 deaths from 4,494 crashes nationwide between January and September this year, compared to 4,016 deaths from 3,727 crashes during the same period last year.

The Road Safety Foundation reported 5,598 fatalities in 5,485 crashes, while Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity recorded 4,745 deaths in 4,620 crashes during the same timeframe.

With increasing casualties and declining fitness compliance, experts and officials agree that addressing this crisis requires stronger enforcement, greater resources for BRTA and accountability across the transport sector.