Editorial
80,000 unfit cars?
Greater coordination among agencies required to bring order on roads
It defies logic as to how nearly 80,000 cars continue to ply city roads with expired fitness certificates contributing immensely to the perennial traffic congestions. The statistics have been collected by the communications minister Syed Abul Hossain from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authorities (BRTA) and placed before parliament on Wednesday. The minister has revealed that BRTA has two mobile courts led by two executive magistrates taking action against vehicles running without fitness certificates. But the reality is that there is clear lack of coordination between BRTA and the authorities responsible for traffic management. Therefore, if the relevant government agencies cannot rise above their petty differences and vested interests, and if magisterial actions are not effectively supported by strict imposition of rules, no qualitative change can come about on the roads.
We already know about these 80,000 unfit vehicles and we have been writing about them repeatedly for the government to take them off the roads. A number of good suggestions have also come from experts at many seminars and roundtables, but so far no government agency has come forward to implement effective short-term action plans to contain the fast sliding situation. To be candid, the long lines of stranded vehicles on the roads and alleyways are testament to total failure of the traffic control system in the capital city.
The capital city is fast becoming un-motorable and unlivable, therefore the government has no alternative but to take immediate actions to remove dilapidated and unfit vehicles from the roads and at the same time construct new roads, lanes and bylanes as well as one-way lanes to ease congestion. The communication minister, in order to streamline traffic management, might have to take personal initiatives to end the stalemate that exist at the moment among various government agencies that have a role to play in improving the situation. The sooner he does it the better.
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