Police, BRTA urged to conduct drives against illegal vehicles on roads during Eid holidays

The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways and the Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF) on Tuesday called for drives to be conducted against all types of illegal vehicles to prevent road accidents during Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

Committee President Mohammad Shahid Mia and SCRF General Secretary Lion Mohd Jahangir Alam made the call in a joint statement today to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

The statement also urged the police, traffic police, highway police and district administration to play a strict role against illegal vehicles and law breakers, including unlicensed and under-age drivers.

The two organisations also called for the immediate start of mobile court drives on all roads, highways, inter-district roads and regional roads across the country, including Dhaka and Chattagram.

Expressing deep concern over the regular road accidents and casualties in different parts of the country, the statement said, though accidents and unexpected deaths often occur on the roads and highways, there is no visible effort by the authorities concerned to establish accident risk-free roads.

In the statement, the leaders of the committee and the SCRF said at various times in the past, responsible officials of the government, including the road transport minister, blamed faulty and illegal vehicles and unskilled, unlicensed drivers for the accidents.

But during their rule, the government agencies concerned did not take effective steps against these irregularities and mismanagement. As a result, roads and highways have become very risky, the statement added.

The statement also asked all authorities concerned, including the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the police administration and the BRTA, to prevent a repeat of deadly accidents during Eid holidays.