DMP crackdown on old vehicles flounders again
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Munima Sultana
The DMP drive to ban vehicles over 20 years old has apparently failed as 93 per cent of the seized vehicles return to the city streets despite the continuation of the decade-old crackdown.
Officials said Bangladesh Roads Transport Authority (BRTA) mobile courts led by two magistrates seized some 18,981 old passenger buses and container vehicles till April 10 of which only 155 vehicles could be dumped.
Although 1165 vehicles were banished from the city due to lack of sufficient dumping grounds, the DMP could not prevent the return of the seized vehicles despite undertakings from the owners.
The drive, mainly in the capital under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance which bans plying of 20 years old passenger buses and 25 years old container vehicles on the roads, has been continuing across the country since 1997.
The crackdown that has been re-enforced from time to time resumed last year during the holy month of Ramadan when traffic jam situation reached all time worst before Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Officials said the drive failed due to inadequate number of magistrates, unavailability of dumping grounds and lack of scrapping facilities to make those vehicles unfit to return to the streets.
"Non cooperation of police and union leaders is also one of the major reasons for the failure of the drive," said an official of the communications ministry.
He said the ministry planned a meeting with all the stakeholders, including the shipping minister, who is the leader of the transport union, to reinforce the drive but the meeting was cancelled due to unknown reason.
The official said continuation of the drive is needed to improve the city's traffic situation and to make room for more than 100 new and modern vehicles coming out on the streets everyday.
Earlier in April, the ministry held an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the issue and recommended increasing the number of magistrates to 20 and sending the list of seized vehicles to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for confiscation to improve the situation.
The meeting objected to plying of these old vehicles outside the capital on ground of environmental safety and recommended scrapping those vehicles for good.
"Only undertaking will not stop the return of old vehicles," said the official adding that fixing lifecycle of all vehicles and refusing fitness certificates to the vehicles with shattered bodies are also needed to improve the traffic situation.
Representatives from home, education, environment and forest ministries along with agencies concerned were present at the meeting.
They recommended marking of condemned vehicles with indelible ink for easy identification.
The DMP drive to ban vehicles over 20 years old has apparently failed as 93 per cent of the seized vehicles return to the city streets despite the continuation of the decade-old crackdown.
Officials said Bangladesh Roads Transport Authority (BRTA) mobile courts led by two magistrates seized some 18,981 old passenger buses and container vehicles till April 10 of which only 155 vehicles could be dumped.
Although 1165 vehicles were banished from the city due to lack of sufficient dumping grounds, the DMP could not prevent the return of the seized vehicles despite undertakings from the owners.
The drive, mainly in the capital under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance which bans plying of 20 years old passenger buses and 25 years old container vehicles on the roads, has been continuing across the country since 1997.
The crackdown that has been re-enforced from time to time resumed last year during the holy month of Ramadan when traffic jam situation reached all time worst before Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
Officials said the drive failed due to inadequate number of magistrates, unavailability of dumping grounds and lack of scrapping facilities to make those vehicles unfit to return to the streets.
"Non cooperation of police and union leaders is also one of the major reasons for the failure of the drive," said an official of the communications ministry.
He said the ministry planned a meeting with all the stakeholders, including the shipping minister, who is the leader of the transport union, to reinforce the drive but the meeting was cancelled due to unknown reason.
The official said continuation of the drive is needed to improve the city's traffic situation and to make room for more than 100 new and modern vehicles coming out on the streets everyday.
Earlier in April, the ministry held an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the issue and recommended increasing the number of magistrates to 20 and sending the list of seized vehicles to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for confiscation to improve the situation.
The meeting objected to plying of these old vehicles outside the capital on ground of environmental safety and recommended scrapping those vehicles for good.
"Only undertaking will not stop the return of old vehicles," said the official adding that fixing lifecycle of all vehicles and refusing fitness certificates to the vehicles with shattered bodies are also needed to improve the traffic situation.
Representatives from home, education, environment and forest ministries along with agencies concerned were present at the meeting.
They recommended marking of condemned vehicles with indelible ink for easy identification.