402 killed, 1,294 injured in road crashes during Eid-ul-Adha journey: Report
Some 438 people were killed and 1,340 suffered injuries in 442 accidents across roads, railways, and waterways, says the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity
At least 402 people were killed and 1,294 others injured in 394 road accidents across the country during Eid-ul-Adha travel this year, according to the passenger welfare body Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.
These casualties occurred over 15 days from 21 May, the day Eid travel commenced, to 4 June, when commuters returned to their workplaces after the vacation, said Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the organisation, during a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity today (7 June).
He said a comparative analysis of the previous year's Eid-ul-Adha shows that road accidents increased by 3.95%, fatalities rose by 3.07%, and the number of injured individuals surged by 9.47%.
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The country's mass transit sectors also saw casualties during this period, with 31 railway accidents claiming 23 lives and leaving 30 others injured, he added.
Concurrently, 17 accidents on waterways resulted in 13 fatalities and 16 injuries, said Mozammel.
According to the data compiled by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, 438 people were killed and 1,340 suffered injuries in 442 accidents across roads, railways, and waterways combined.
The organisation's report further noted that motorcycles once again topped the list of accidents, with 159 people losing their lives in 153 motorcycle crashes, accounting for 38.83% of the total road accidents during this festive season.
Criticising the role of the regulatory authorities, Mozammel alleged that the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges is being run according to the "prescriptions of bus owners".
He said the power to control the collection of exorbitant fares has been handed over to members of the transport owners' associations, adding that transport owners turn into a "mafia" when they receive government patronage.
Speaking at the event, traffic congestion researcher Dr AYM Ekramul Hoque said nearly one crore people leave Dhaka during the Eid holidays and emphasised that this tendency to rush out of the capital must be curbed.
To reduce the influx towards Dhaka, he suggested establishing standard facilities for health, education, and medical treatment across the country, alongside setting up factories across different districts by providing policy support and tax holiday benefits.
The passenger platform identified several factors behind the alarming rise in road crashes during the Eid rush, highlighting rain-damaged roads filled with potholes, vehicular defects, and the reckless, law-breaking attitude of drivers.
It also blamed sleepless, non-stop driving caused by a shortage of drivers, alongside the operation of expired and faulty buses driven by the greed for extra profit.
To reduce the number of accidents, the organisation demanded the implementation of tech-driven, safe road management; improvement of drivers' training and working conditions; and the construction and maintenance of high-quality roads.
The platform also called for the removal of unfit and expired vehicles, enhancing the capacity of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and putting an end to extortion and monopoly in the transport sector.
