Battery-run rickshaws, vans banned afresh across Bangladesh
The government on Sunday imposed a fresh ban on movement of all battery-run rickshaws and rickshaw vans across Bangladesh.
Decisions were also taken that transport associations would take subscription money from transports only at terminals, more than two people would not be allowed on motorcycles, unregistered motorbikes would not be allowed on roads while leaders of transport owners agreed to provide appointment letters to the workers.
The decisions were taken in the third meeting of the Taskforce to Strengthen Order in the Road Transport Sector and Control Road Accidents at the secretariat in Dhaka with home minister Asaduzzaman Khan in the chair.
These decisions are not new as they already exist in laws or have been taken by different committees or councils at various times.
The taskforce was formed on October 15, 2019 to implement the 111 recommendations submitted by a committee on April 28, 2019 to bring back order on roads and contain accidents.
That committee was led by former shipping minister Shajahan Khan, also the executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation.
Movement of all modified means of transport, including freshly banned battery-run rickshaws and rickshaw vans, and unregistered vehicles is illegal as per the Road Transport Act, 2018 as was in the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1983.
On February 10, 2014 the High Court directed the government to forbid operation of slow-moving and unstable transports on the highways and the government in 2015 imposed a ban on movement of three-wheeler and non-motorised vehicles on 22 national highways from August 1, 2015.
The National Road Safety Council also has a decision of not allowing movement of these illegal vehicles.
Issuing appointment letters to transport workers is mandatory as per the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 and the Road Transport Act and the owners have earlier at different forums claimed that they will issue appointment letters to the workers but have not kept their word.
Extortion on roads is rampant and transport workers allege that money is taken from them at different points of roads and highways.
In Sunday’s meeting the minister observed that rickshaws and rickshaw vans were running using battery-run motors across the country causing frequent accidents due to the faulty brake system.
‘These rickshaws are also coming on highways,’ Asaduzzaman said, adding, ‘In this meeting we have decided to stop movement of these rickshaws.’
He further said that 13,000 motorised rickshaw vans had been destroyed recently in Dhaka city while movement of easy bikes would also be gradually banned.
Vehicles like nasimons and karimons are running in rural areas as alternative transports due to shortage of vehicles while a final decision on banning these vehicles would be taken soon, he went on.
About issuance of appointment letters to drivers, the minister said that the leaders of workers and owners had agreed to implement soon the decision as per the law.
Decisions were also taken that the secretaries of the ministries concerned would form an action plan to implement the 111 recommendations for overall road safety and submit it in the next taskforce meeting while experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology would prepare and submit a technical report on the number of vehicles and the situation on roads.
Replying to a question from a reporter, Asaduzzaman said that he did not have a report that the number of road accidents had increased significantly.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Shajahan Khan, former state minister for local government, rural development and co-operatives Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Road Transport and Highways Division secretary Md Nazrul Islam, Inspector General of Police Md Benazir Ahmed, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder, senior government officials and senior transport leaders.
News courtesy- https://www.newagebd.net/article/141345/battery-run-rickshaws-vans-banned-afresh-across-bangladesh
