Bus services

My niece was travelling alone by bus from Bagerhat to Dhaka a few days after Eid-ul-Azha. The bus left for Dhaka at around 9.00 AM. Usually the bus is expected to reach Dhaka before sunset so that the passengers can reach home before Magrib prayer. Unfortunately the bus went out of order three times on way to Dhaka. Enough is often said about proper maintenance of buses and other vehicles plying on roads, but the reality is otherwise. Fitness of these vehicles is often questionable although the concerned minister often visits BRTA office to have a look at the operational aspects of the organization and check irregularities, if any.

My niece could reach Sayedabad Bus terminal at around 10.00 PM and one can easily imagine the trouble faced by her while returning to Banani area at such an odd hour. Ultimately a kind hearted rickshaw-puller agreed to carry her for Tk 200 and it took about two hours to reach her residence and it was midnight. How can one accept such miseries of a bus journey when the concerned minister is running helter-skelter to fix the sector. Recently on Oct17 last, I watched a programme on the actual affairs of bus service, licensing, etc. in India produced by Aamir Khan, a superstar of Bollywood. 1 could feel that this hour-long TV show can be shown on our TV. However, the appropriate authority may look into the matter as depicted there as it has a striking similarity with our traffic system as well.

Mahmud Ali

New Eskaton, Dhaka