No new bus route in Dhaka city: DSCC mayor

Dhaka south city mayor Sayeed Khokon on Saturday said that no permission for new bus routes would be given in the capital from now on.
At a press briefing at DSC Nagar Bhaban, he also said that within July this year the citizens would see positive changes in the public transport system. 
The briefing took place following the second meeting of the eight-member committee for rationalisation of bus routes by bringing all the buses in the capital under six companies. 
If the regional transport committee would ever want to allow any new route out of extreme necessity, steps would be taken after discussion with the bus route franchise committee, said the mayor, also convener of the committee. 
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, currently there are 366 bus and minibus routes in Dhaka city. 
The ceiling for buses and minibuses is 16,603 in the capital but the authorities so far permitted 6,167 buses and 2,805 minibuses to operate. 
Sayeed Khokon said that between this April and July, buses and minibuses would be brought under the proposed six-company-based system and new air-conditioned and high quality buses would be pressed into the service. 
‘The city people will witness the beginning of change in public transport system in Dhaka between April and July,’ he assured, adding, ‘Within the next two years we will give people a complete positive scenario.’
When the new system would be effective, order would come back in public transport sector, threats to life would be removed and journeys would be safer, he claimed. 
The mayor mentioned that two more members from owners’ association would be inducted in the committee. 
The meeting was attended, among others, by Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation chairman Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority director (engineering) Md Lokman Hossain Mollah, Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority executive director Khandakar Rakibur Rahman, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner (traffic) Mir Rezaul Alam, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association secretary general Khandakar Enayet Ullah, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation vice-president Md Sadiqur Rahman and two representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net