'77pc drivers have no licenses'

FT ONLINE

Over 77% drivers in Bangladesh do not have driving licenses, according to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform.

According to the Samity, of a total of 7,000,000 drivers across the country, only 1,600,000 drivers hold Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) licenses.

The Jatri Kalyan Samity said at least 87% of of public transport drivers in the city drive recklessly and violate traffic laws.

The speakers came up with the above observations at a round table discussion ,”The way out of road mismanagement and chaos”, at the National Press Club on Saturday.

Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said: “We want to term the accidents as murders because we are forced to commute in such conditions that lack proper management and regulations.”

Kazi Riazul Haq, Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said: “In reality we do not have implementation of laws in Bangladesh.”

He urged the government to take the opinion of general people before publishing the proposed Road Transport Law bill.

The platform also gave 10 recommendations to resolve the ongoing chaos in the transport sector.

The recommendations include one-colour bus service by separate companies to avoid sickening competition among drivers, forming a Public Transport Service Authority team of skilled persons , holding the traffic department more accountable, taking steps against passenger harassment and fare disputes, including professional and skilled persons in issuing route permits, ensuring fines collected from traffic cases go to the bank directly, stopping extortion, and freeing roads from hawkers.

Ganasanghati Andolan convener Zonayed Saki, Supreme Court lawyer Jatirmoy Barua, former Design and Technology Centre (DTC) executive director Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed, and Buet professor Dr Mahbub Alam Talukdar also spoke at the programme.