Editorial
Getting old vehicles off the streets
Good move, but let it be done in phases
THE authorities plan to launch a drive against old vehicles and fake driving licences in the city from July 15. We certainly commend the move, though we cannot stay away from reminding the government that similar moves were earlier announced as well, with much fanfare, before things went back to square one. Let matters be a little different this time and in a way that takes certain important factors into consideration. Clearly the biggest factor here relates to citizens' comfort while commuting or trying to commute. The government's plans to crack down on 20-year-old buses and 25-year-old trucks, from such a point of view, should be looked at carefully. Much as we would like to see ageing vehicles taken off the streets, we also feel that nothing should be done that will leave commuters without transport all of a sudden. One can well imagine the chaos that will ensue if on July 15 and on the days following, citizens wake up to a nightmare of having to fend for themselves without transport.
Our point is therefore simple. Let the move against ageing vehicles not be overly dramatised, for that might cause more problems than it can solve. No one argues that the many dilapidated buses and other forms of transport we see regularly on Dhaka streets must stay. They have to go. The important point here, though, is that these vehicles should be phased out instead of being put out of action at one go. In other words, action against such vehicles must not come to a point where citizens suffer. More specifically, the authorities must ensure that as these dilapidated buses and similar vehicles are phased out, they are replaced by new ones or alternative means of transport. There is another point we can make here, which is that the government can make arrangements for a provision of bank loans to those whose vehicles are ordered off the streets. The vehicles they now own are their sources of income, which is as much as to say that if they are not encouraged to invest in new vehicles, they will be in a state of jeopardy. One other point must not be missed. Not all 20- or 25-year-old vehicles might be less than road worthy. At issue here is not the age but the condition of the vehicles. The authorities must therefore examine these one lakh vehicles to find out how many of them can still be used as transport.
Finally, we think that the decision to rid the roads of vehicles that do not conform to accepted standards is a good one. For reasons of safety and prevention of pollution, it is important that any vehicle which is a danger to public health be removed. Let the job be done with judiciousness. And let it not end up as a non-starter once again.
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