No rallies on roads on working days: Obaidul

Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said no rallies or gathering of any political, social and cultural organisations would be allowed on roads blocking spaces in the capital.
At the 10th board meeting of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority held at its office in the city, he also said rallies or gatherings were also prohibited on working days except holidays. 
‘I do not see much implementation of the decisions taken in these board meetings,’ Obaidul, also the board chairman, said during the beginning of the meeting. 
He said DTCA should be able to make all political parties comply with the decisions. 
‘We had decided here that no political, social and cultural organisations would be able to organise or hold rallies and gatherings by blocking roads,’ he said. 
Rallies and gatherings would be allowed on Fridays and Saturdays to avoid congestions on working days, the minister added. 
He said in the 70 year history of Bangladesh Chhatra League for the first time this year they had celebrated the founding anniversary on Saturday to avoid congestion on Thursday. 
He, however, admitted that rallies or gatherings on holidays also create gridlocks on holidays. 
The meeting decided to form a committee with members from road transport and highways division, two city corporations in Dhaka, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, traffic polices and DTCA to improve public bus system as proposed by the authority.
Obaidul also directed Dhaka Metropolitan Police to take strict legal actions against motorcyclists without helmets and with more than one co-rider and DTCA not to ‘waste’ time on stalling long term projects like Mass Rapid Transits and Bus Rapid Transits as it was the election year. 
The minister said before 2020, MRT line – 6, popularly known as metro rail, would not be operational due to attack on Holey Artisan. 
He instructed DTCA to set immediate target to ease and contain congestion this year on roads as many rallies and processions would be held for elections.
DTCA executive director Syed Ahmed said they had prepared a proposal to operate company-based bus services following Dhaka North City Corporation’s late mayor Annisul Huq’s initiative to restructure the public bus services. 
The proposed routes for the service are – Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport –Saidabad and Kuril-Purbachal 2 no sector. 
The meeting was attended, among others, by Narayanganj city mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, lawmaker Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, RTH division secretary Md Nazrul Islam, bridges division secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam, railways ministry secretary M Mofazzel Hossain and Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association secretary general K Enayet Ullah.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net