Road safety act to serve transport owners, workers: Mozammel
Passengers' leader Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury alleged that the newly approved Road Transport Act 2018 was prepared just to serve the interest of transport owners and workers, not of the general public.
Although passengers have become hostages to the transport owners and workers for a long time, there is no directive in the new law to relief them, said the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA) General Secretary, reports UNB.
Mozammel made the claims during a press conference organized by BPWA at the Mukti Bhaban in the city's Paltan area on Saturday.
"Although the government seriously accepted the demands raised by the students during their recent movement for road safety, it was not reflected in this law,"said Mozammel.
As the influential transport owner-labor organisation was involved in formulating the law, it has become a document of their interests, he said.
There is no clear direction in this law to stop passengers' harassment, rent anarchy, plying unfit vehicles on the streets, various irregularities in public transport as well as there is no specific instruction in the law to make the BRTA and traffic department corruption free, he claimed.
The proposal to set up a separate investigation agency for investigating into road accident cases was also ignored in this law, Mozammel further said.
"Despite the presence of a registered passenger welfare association in the country, the authority did not take their opinions under consideration while drafting the law," The secretary general said. "The law does not represent the demands of the general passengers."
Road accidents have turned into an epidemic, with an average of 50-64 people getting killed and 150 people becoming injured a day, Mozammel alleged.
"If the rule of law is not established on the roads, this epidemic will not stop," he added.
In order to ensure the representation of passenger organizations alongside owner and labour organizations, Mozammel urged the government to include the rights and demands of the general passengers in all areas including public transport, regional transport committees and road safety committees.
He urged a direct intervention of the country's President in the proper implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018.
Road Safety Foundation Vice Chairman MA Hamid Sharif, BPWA central leader Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ziaul Haque Chowdhury, Amanullah Mahafuz and Advocate Zayedur Rahman also spoke on the occasion.
