Salute to student protests for road safety: Obaidul Quader

Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday hailed young boys and girls for their recent protests demanding road safety. 
‘Because of their movement, the Road Safety Bill 2018 saw the light of day,’ he observed at an opinion sharing meeting with civil society members, experts and transports leaders.
The ministry organised the meeting at the secretariat. 
The minister said that the bill was not final as there was opportunity to amend the proposed rules before it would be enacted in the last parliament session. 
The bill was approved by the cabinet on August 6 after the government had taken initiative in 2010 to repeal the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983. 
‘If we can restore order in politics, order in every sector will be an easy job,’ he noted. 
‘Every day so many people are dying,’ he said, blaming small vehicles such as easy bike, battery-run rickshaws and reckless motorcycles. 
If public representatives took initiatives, these small vehicles would be removed from highways, he said. 
About dented public transports in Dhaka city, he regretted, ‘I told them again and again to 
mend their buses but to no avail.’
Town planner Mubasser Hossian said the students showed everyone that how the laws should be enforced by checking vehicles of all, including judges. 
BUET Accident Research Institute director professor Mizanur Rahman said trip-basis bus operation was the main reason for reckless 
driving. 
If all city service buses were brought under a few companies, owners also would get profit as the number of passengers would increase then due to quality and timely service, he observed. 
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud urged the authorities to identify the reasons why the directives given by prime minister Sheikh Hasina and road minister Obaidul Quader were not implemented. 
Nirapad Sarak Chai chairman Ilias Kanchan said discipline and change in mentality were necessary along with implementation of law to ensure road safety. 
The meeting was attended, among others, by road transport and highways division additional secretary Safiqul Islam, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority chairman Md Moshiar Rahman, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation chairman Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan, deputy inspector general of highway police Md Atiqul Islam, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner Mir Rezaul Alam, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association executive president Rustam Ali Khan and Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association president Md Faruk Talukder Sohel.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net