Drive against unfit vehicles from next week
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Jubair Hasan
The government is expected to launch a combined drive from next week against the city's unfit vehicles and operators who charge excess fares from the passengers ignoring the recently revised transport fares, officials said. The special move comes as the country's transport regulatory body -- Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) -- failed to conduct its ongoing drive due to lack of manpower. According to the Communication Ministry's request, Traffic Department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will assist the BRTA to facilitate the drive aimed at removing wrongdoings in the transport sector. "Presently two mobile teams of BRTA are operating the drives, which are insufficient to bring discipline in the sector," BRTA chairman Ayubur Rahman said, adding that they have requested the high-ups of the DMP on the issue. The BRTA chairman said five more mobile courts will be added from Thursday to strengthen the drive. "We received green signal from DMP and hopefully we'll conduct joint drives from next week to check transport-related public sufferings," Mr Rahman said. Most of the city's transport operators have persistently been charging excess fares from the passengers after citing the newly revised transport fares that has caused untoward incidents between passengers and transport workers. After visiting several locations in the capital, it was seen that ticket salesmen were charging excess fares from passengers by wrongly explaining the new fare rates. Even many bus companies did not hang the chart of the revised rates inside the vehicle for their own interest. A transport worker of a minibus on Gulistan-Abdullapur Road also misinterpreted the fares to the passengers, saying that the government increased transport fares to Tk 1.70 for each kilometre of journey. But the figure will be Tk 1.45 for each kilometre. A senior DMP official said they have decided to take part in the drive after receiving requests from both Communication Ministry and the BRTA. The government revised the new transport fares for bus and minibus which came into effect from May 19. The new fare rate was made in line with the recent hike in prices of compressed natural gas, octane and diesel.
The government is expected to launch a combined drive from next week against the city's unfit vehicles and operators who charge excess fares from the passengers ignoring the recently revised transport fares, officials said. The special move comes as the country's transport regulatory body -- Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) -- failed to conduct its ongoing drive due to lack of manpower. According to the Communication Ministry's request, Traffic Department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will assist the BRTA to facilitate the drive aimed at removing wrongdoings in the transport sector. "Presently two mobile teams of BRTA are operating the drives, which are insufficient to bring discipline in the sector," BRTA chairman Ayubur Rahman said, adding that they have requested the high-ups of the DMP on the issue. The BRTA chairman said five more mobile courts will be added from Thursday to strengthen the drive. "We received green signal from DMP and hopefully we'll conduct joint drives from next week to check transport-related public sufferings," Mr Rahman said. Most of the city's transport operators have persistently been charging excess fares from the passengers after citing the newly revised transport fares that has caused untoward incidents between passengers and transport workers. After visiting several locations in the capital, it was seen that ticket salesmen were charging excess fares from passengers by wrongly explaining the new fare rates. Even many bus companies did not hang the chart of the revised rates inside the vehicle for their own interest. A transport worker of a minibus on Gulistan-Abdullapur Road also misinterpreted the fares to the passengers, saying that the government increased transport fares to Tk 1.70 for each kilometre of journey. But the figure will be Tk 1.45 for each kilometre. A senior DMP official said they have decided to take part in the drive after receiving requests from both Communication Ministry and the BRTA. The government revised the new transport fares for bus and minibus which came into effect from May 19. The new fare rate was made in line with the recent hike in prices of compressed natural gas, octane and diesel.