Over 600 fined on first day of weeklong mobile court drive

More than 600 pedestrians were fined by mobile courts Tuesday on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue for not using foot over-bridges and underpass in crossing the streets, as a drive is now on as part of efforts to discipline the capital's chaotic traffic system.       
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has launched the weeklong drive against jaywalkers-shortly after the road transport ministry had kicked off similar operation against unfit vehicles, which virtually rule the roost in the thoroughfares of this capital city.
According to DMP's prior announcement, two mobile courts - at Karwanbazar and Banglamotor intersections - started watch at 8:00am with warning that jaywalkers would be fined maximum Tk 200 or six months in jail for such violation.
The drive has been launched under a pilot project, designed to bring discipline among the pedestrians in crossing busy roads as jaywalking often triggers threat on life in the overcrowded capital.
When contacted, Magistrate Abdul Kuddus who led the mobile court at Banglamotor intersection said nearly 500 persons had been penalised financially for crossing the intersection without foot over-bridges till 4:00pm.
Additional numbers of police personnel were seen cautioning pedestrians to use foot over-bridges and avoid jaywalking on the stretch of the road from Ruposhi Bangla hotel to Farmgate.
Several notice-boards were also placed throughout the road to draw the attention of the pedestrians.
The fines ranged from Tk20 to a maximum of Tk200, according to the officials engaged in operating the mobile courts.
Talking to the FE, Executive Magistrate of Dhaka District Administration Sarwar Alam said a total of 86 pedestrians had been fined till 2:00pm at Karwanbazar intersection and one Zakir was given conviction for six months' imprisonment.  
"Such punitive action could not prevent the tendency of not using the foot over-bridges. There is no alternative to awareness building," he noted.
"People should realise that jaywalking is an offence that could take away their lives," he added.   
Kabir Hossain, a fined pedestrian, said he always uses foot over-bridge and underpass to cross roads in the city.
"But today, I'm in a hurry to reach my office that forced me to do that," he said.
He, however, hailed the move.
A spot account of the scenes of the over-bridges and underpasses says that there are lots of hurdles facing the pedestrians in using these overhead and underground bypasses, so also the footpaths.           
Among the two foot bridges near Farmgate bus-stand, one has been sealed off and the other is under maintenance while the foot over-bridge at Banglamotor has construction work obstructing pedestrians from boarding the bridge at one end and makeshift tea stalls at the other.

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