Civil Society demands budget allocation for road safety measures

Civil society has called for the allocation of funds for road safety measures in the budget for the next fiscal year 2024-25. 

At a civic rally in front of the National Press Club, various civil society representatives today said despite thousands of crores of taka being allocated annually for roads and public infrastructure, there is currently no dedicated budget for road safety to prevent fatalities.

They also expressed their concerns about the current budgetary allocations, demanding that the upcoming budget reflect the needs and concerns of the people.

Mustafa Kamal Akanda, director of the COAST Foundation, underscored the alarming number of road accident fatalities and the lack of corresponding safety measures in the budget.

"In 2023, 8,505 people lost their lives in road accidents. In the upcoming budget, there is an allocation of Tk87,000 crore for roads and public infrastructure, but no allocation for road safety to prevent such a loss of lives," he added.

Akanda also criticised insurance companies, saying, "Insurance companies collect Tk300 crore annually for passenger insurance, yet accident victim families do not receive any compensation."

Rezaul K Chowdhury, the chief moderator of EquityBD, said "The entire budget process in Bangladesh is undemocratic. Even the participation of parliament members in the budget process is questionable." 

Omor Faruk Bhuiyan of BDCSO Process raised concerns about the nation's rising debt. "The per capita debt is now $580. Repayment of the unprecedented debt will cause reductions in the lifeline of people," he warned.

Ferdous Ara Rumee, the secretary general of the International Rural Women's Day Observance Committee, highlighted the plight of women in informal employment. "91% of people are involved in the informal sector, with 95% of them being women. We must evaluate the progress of women through the yearly gender-budget reporting system," she also said.

Abul Hasan of EquityBD pointed out the challenges posed by internal climate-induced migration. "Internal climate-induced migration is one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh. Even after five years of a migration strategy paper being developed, not enough investment has been made on it," he noted.

Hasan Mehedi of CLEAN emphasised the urgent need for investment in renewable energy. "Bangladesh aims to achieve at least 10% renewable energy by 2025 as part of the eighth five-year plan. However, so far, it has only achieved 3%. Bangladesh will face significant challenges in the future if sufficient allocations are not made to support the development of renewable energy," he added.