A passenger welfare platform has called for strictly checking movement of unfit vehicles on the highways to help reduce the number of road accidents during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr vacation.
It also sought the government's intervention to restrict plying of unfit vessels on the waterways and carrying passengers beyond capacity.
The Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) made such appeal at a human-chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Tuesday.
PWAB Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury and central committee member of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Ruhin Hossain Prince took part in the programme, among others.
Mozammel Haque said a large number of unfit vehicles, including bus, truck, micro bus and human hauler, run on the highways during the Eid, carrying an increased number of passengers.
"These vehicles create gridlock, as they often go out of order in the middle of the roads, causing trouble for the holidaymakers," he said.
During the Eid last year, a total of 274 people died and 848 were injured in 205 road accidents.
There are more than 0.3 million unfit vehicles plying the streets across the country.
Besides, around 0.5 million easy-bikes, 60,000 auto-rickshaws, and 0.2 million 'nosimon-korimon-votvoti' (locally-produced three-wheelers) ply the national highways and local roads.
These slow-moving vehicles create traffic congestion by obstructing the movement of other vehicles.
Other speakers said the weather condition often becomes unfavourable for journey on the waterways.
However, many vessels carry five-six times higher number of passengers than their capacity.
The speakers also demanded strict supervision of the government agencies concerned to prevent launches and steamers from carrying passengers beyond their capacity.
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