DMTCL moves to amend law to take full control of metro rail
MUNIMA SULTANA | Wednesday, 27 November 2024
The metro rail company has drafted an amendment to the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Act 2015, without its authority to do so, apparently to take control over all kinds of its activities.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) as the regulator is entitled to amend the law which was passed in parliament in January, 2015.
However, sources said, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has taken the amendment move bypassing the DTCA.
They said the draft includes provisions for ensuring DMTCL’s all kinds of regulatory authority of MRTs with full indemnity.
The DTCA was established under another law, DTCA Act 2012, as a regulatory and policy authority of the city’s all kinds of transports and then the metro rail law was formulated with the support of Japanese experts.
The DMTCL was formed as a state-owned company under the articles of association and memorandum of articles 2013, with the mandate to plan, implement, operate and maintain the MRTs.
Meanwhile, the DMTCL sent the draft amendment to the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD), but it returned the draft asking further explanation regarding the proposed provisions, said a high official at the RTHD.
DMTCL Acting Managing Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said that the initiative to amend the MRT Act 2015 has been taken to make it time-befitting, considering the importance of the mass transport system in the city.
“We’ve proposed the amendment to make the transportation system trouble-free, speedy and easy,” he told the FE.
Replying to a question about DMTCL’s authority to amend the law bypassing the DTCA, the MD said the DTCA was also a party to share their views in a RTHD meeting held on Tuesday.
“We have shared the Act with the government. It will take the decision,” he added.
DMTCL has been developing six MRTs in the city’s different corridors. The MRT 6 has been under operation from Uttara to Motijheel while the MRT 1 and MRT 5 North have been at different stages of implementation. The MRT 2 and MRT 4 are still in the pre-feasibility study stages.