Move on to validate fake driving licences
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Munima Sultana
A strong lobby is active to withdraw the provision of minimum educational qualification of drivers of all motorised vehicles and validate the fake driving licences by giving the holders basic training.
Officials said motorised vehicles owners and workers association raised the demand to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) recently with a proposal to give these drivers some basic trainings and allow them to run vehicles on the streets without the hassles of police.
They said the owners and drivers mainly want to withdraw the educational qualification of Class VIII pass requirement and skip the written test.
The BRTA has issued around 0.90million driving licences against 1.3 million registered vehicles. Besides, there might be 0.4 million fake driving licences.
Officials said the communications ministry was informed about the demand and may seek opinions from different agencies aiming at brining back discipline in the city streets.
"We are informed about the demand but yet to take any decision," said KM Iftekhar Haider, additional secretary of roads and railway division, who is also the member of a committee on resolving traffic jam problem.
He said the demand is now under scrutiny of all concerned and the government will take decisions after getting proposals from them.
Meanwhile, the BRTA called a meeting with the representatives of owners and workers association and DMP to hold discussion on the demand tomorrow (Sunday).
"We have already talked with different quarters about the demand of truck-bus owners and drivers, and received mixed reaction from them," said BRTA chairman Ayubur Rahman Khan.
He said the BRTA will send a proposal to the ministry after holding meetings with all stakeholders.
"We admit that basic educational qualification is required to get the driving licenses. But it is also needed to bring discipline in the streets by providing proper training to the existing drivers," the chairman told the FE.
Ilyas Kanchan, leader of the road safety movement, however opposed the demand of the owners and workers and said literate drivers can only ensure road safety, who can understand traffic signs.
"How could they follow street warnings and signs of directions without the education," he told the FE.
Getting a driving licence is difficult job in different countries. One may have to face tests for five to six times to get a driving licence, whereas in this country one can get it with few weeks training and a five-minute test, experts say.
A strong lobby is active to withdraw the provision of minimum educational qualification of drivers of all motorised vehicles and validate the fake driving licences by giving the holders basic training.
Officials said motorised vehicles owners and workers association raised the demand to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) recently with a proposal to give these drivers some basic trainings and allow them to run vehicles on the streets without the hassles of police.
They said the owners and drivers mainly want to withdraw the educational qualification of Class VIII pass requirement and skip the written test.
The BRTA has issued around 0.90million driving licences against 1.3 million registered vehicles. Besides, there might be 0.4 million fake driving licences.
Officials said the communications ministry was informed about the demand and may seek opinions from different agencies aiming at brining back discipline in the city streets.
"We are informed about the demand but yet to take any decision," said KM Iftekhar Haider, additional secretary of roads and railway division, who is also the member of a committee on resolving traffic jam problem.
He said the demand is now under scrutiny of all concerned and the government will take decisions after getting proposals from them.
Meanwhile, the BRTA called a meeting with the representatives of owners and workers association and DMP to hold discussion on the demand tomorrow (Sunday).
"We have already talked with different quarters about the demand of truck-bus owners and drivers, and received mixed reaction from them," said BRTA chairman Ayubur Rahman Khan.
He said the BRTA will send a proposal to the ministry after holding meetings with all stakeholders.
"We admit that basic educational qualification is required to get the driving licenses. But it is also needed to bring discipline in the streets by providing proper training to the existing drivers," the chairman told the FE.
Ilyas Kanchan, leader of the road safety movement, however opposed the demand of the owners and workers and said literate drivers can only ensure road safety, who can understand traffic signs.
"How could they follow street warnings and signs of directions without the education," he told the FE.
Getting a driving licence is difficult job in different countries. One may have to face tests for five to six times to get a driving licence, whereas in this country one can get it with few weeks training and a five-minute test, experts say.