Obaidul vows to enforce discipline on roads in 2020

Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said that establishing discipline on roads would be his main challenge in the upcoming year.

‘Discipline, discipline and discipline–these are my three words for 2020,’ he said at a press conference on contemporary issues held at the secretariat.

Replying to a question, the minister said that discipline was yet to be established, but it would be enforced within 2020.

At a seminar on December 19, finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said that he had been appalled by the pathetic condition of roads in his constituency.

He also said that he could not move in his constituency with car windows open due to abuses hurled by people frustrated with the dilapidated roads.

Replying to another question, the road transport and bridges minister said that he had talked to the finance minister as the matter was a misunderstanding.

‘The road that the finance minister talked about is under construction as it’s getting converted into four-lane, and dust level was high due to the ongoing work,’ Obaidul said.

He also said that the road transport law was under implementation and enforcement process.

The Road Transport Act came into effect on November 1 more than 13 months after its enactment in September 2018 and the government began enforcing it on November 17.

The minister also said that new chairmen had been appointed to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and some new programmes had been undertaken to bring the discipline on the roads.

Replying to a question on Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s protest against the statement of Indian home affairs minister Amit Shah that many Hindu people had migrated to India due to communal violence after the party with Jammat-e-Islam took power in 2001, Obaidul said that the minority persecution in 2001 could only be compared with the violence in 1971.

Obaidul, also general secretary of ruling Awami League, said that under the Awami League regime, some sporadic incidents of communal violence had taken place, but those prompted few to leave the country.

If any minority group people wished to return Bangladesh, the country would accept them, he added.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net