Mayor Atiqul seeks time from students to make Dhaka roads safe

Dhaka North Mayor Atiqul Islam has sought time to ensure safety and security of people on the streets, saying there are “too many problems” in the road transport and infrastructure.

“We need to clear loads of (problems) to get safe road. Let’s move together,” he told students from several educational institutions, including Bangladesh University of Professionals or BUP, in a meeting at his office on Thursday.

The mayor briefed them about the progress in fulfilling their demands for road safety.

On Mar 19, a bus operated by Suprobhat Paribahan ran over and killed Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury, 20, a BUP student, on a zebra crossing near the Jamuna Future Park in the capital.

The BUP students took to the streets and the protests spread the following day in various areas of the capital. Students from other educational institutions also joined the demonstrations demanding safe road.

Their demands included maximum penalty for the bus driver within 10 days, revocation of Suprobhat Paribahan’s licence to operate, establishment of a bus stand, a government order requiring drivers to display their photograph and licence inside the bus, installation of a footbridge at the Bashundhara gate, and CCTV cameras to monitor traffic officers.

“But time is needed to fulfil these demands. We want more time. We’ll meet all the demands gradually. We will see where to work fast,” said the mayor after agreeing with the demands.

Atiqul told the meeting that a “model road” will be constructed from the Malibagh Rail Gate to Pragati Sarani’s Kuril Bishwa Road.
On bus stopping haphazardly on the road, he said a rule will be put in place for punishing those drivers who will stop the buses here and there, and legal action will be taken against them if they do not stop the buses in front of the passenger sheds.

The BRTA officials who were present in the meeting came under fire for irregularities in issuing driving licences.

“Accountability must be ensured. The whole system needs to be automated. No one will be allowed to drive heavy vehicles with the licence of light vehicles. Similarly, the complexities of getting driving licences should also be resolved,” said the mayor.

Atiqul asked the representatives of the bus owners to cancel the contractual driver recruitment process.

Students will sit again with the mayor in the beginning of May to evaluate the progress on their demands for road safety.