The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is yet to come up with the expected performance in reducing corruption, malpractices and financial irregularities despite digitisation done by spending a big sum of money.
The BRTA has launched several programmes by spending over Tk 12 billion to digitise issuance of driving licences and number-plates as well as the payment system. It has also set up a central data system for storing all kinds of information on motorised transports.
The latest BRTA effort was introduction of digital 'blue books' in December last.
But the streets in the country are still occupied by unfit and illegal transports while vehicles are being recklessly driven by low-skilled drivers violating traffic rules, say transport sector analysts and observers.
It was assumed that digitisation would help check corruption, malpractices and financial irregularities in BRTA services, but it failed to live up to the billing, they say.
The digitisation programmes were undertaken, as the finger was pointed at the regulatory authority for most of the irregularities persisting in the country's road and transport sector.
Under the digitisation programme launched in 2011, the BRTA has completed development of the central data system, where all the information about 2.0 million transports is recorded. A good number of digital driving licences and number-plates have also been issued.
Officials, however, say other than an increase in revenue earnings of the BRTA, it has brought hardly any benefit to the people.
Some observers say issuance of genuine licences, now digitised, does not guarantee the required driving skills of drivers. The computerised fee submission system could not check harassment in the form of realisation of different 'charges' or middlemen's involvement in the system. Besides, despite issuance of a good number of digital number-plates, their benefits remain untapped due to not involving the law enforcement agencies with the whole process, observers say adding roads are still being occupied by unfit vehicles.
The FE correspondent found the presence of middlemen at the BRTA divisional office at Mirpur in the capital, where people were standing in long queues for different services. People jostled on lines in front of counters for payment of different fees and submission of applications for driving licences.
Talking to some people in the queues, it was learnt that the majority of them were middlemen, who were helping the people get all kinds of services in exchange for money. Fitness certificates of vehicles were also being issued without physical presence of any transport. Moreover, there were lapses still in the system of checking fitness of vehicles.
Samoresh Kumar Biswas, in charge of BRTA Mirpur office, admitted that the due benefits of digitisation could not be achieved except an increase in revenue. He, however, added that it would be possible to reap the benefits only after bringing all vehicles under the BRTA's different digital programmes.
Mr Biswas said due to the rush for new driving licences and fitness and registration papers, the BRTA Dhaka Divisional Office was witnessing long queues regularly. Middlemen might have been among them, he added.
He, however, said due to pressure from outside, the BRTA had to release unfit vehicles.
The BRTA data shows that 300,000 vehicles out of 2.0 million received digital number-plates during the last one and a half years. On an average, 500 number-plates and 150 driving licences are issued a day.
The numbers could not be increased due to lack of enough space and capacity, officials say.
When asked why the expected performance of BRTA could not be achieved despite its digitisation, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader refused to make any comment to the correspondent.
Road Secretary MAN Siddique, however, said with introduction of the digitisation efforts, pilferage at different levels had been checked as the BRTA was now receiving 100 per cent of the fees fixed for specific services.
When asked about BRTA's poor performance in checking unfit vehicles, accidents, providing driving licences to low-skilled drivers despite its digitised services, he told the FE that they were continuing efforts to address the remaining irregularities.
According to the BRTA data, revenue earnings increased to Tk 7.69 billion in the last fiscal year from Tk 6.85 billion in the earlier FY.
IT experts said due to some gaps in the digitisation process irregularities and corruption in BRTA services still existed.
They recommended introducing a biometric system for driving tests, computerised screening of fitness of vehicles, data of learners, setting up radio frequency identification centres at BRTA offices etc which could improve the services.
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