Gridlocked
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DIFFERENT agencies of the government had a number of hectic meetings during the last months of 2008 on traffic issues, and several decisions were taken which country people came to know through print and electronic media. A news-item published in different daily newspapers stated that in a bid to ease traffic congestion and ensure smooth traffic management in the capital, the government had asked all educational institutions to start classes at 7.30 am and ordered to comply with the directive regardless of their single or double shifts. The Education Ministry formed 12 vigilance teams with 36 officials led by 12 deputy secretaries and the teams would make separate visits to the educational institutions and submit their reports to the ministry immediately. This was a limitless folly. In a meeting held last September, under the chairmanship of the former home adviser, it was stated that the authorities had introduced 40 bus-routes in the capital and its outskirts after rearranging previous 138 routes to bring discipline in the traffic system and ease vehicular movement . On the same issue (rearrangements of bus routes) another meeting under chairmanship of the DMP commissioner was held on September 16 last year and same overlapping decisions were taken, suggesting non-coordination in the same ministry. In last one decade and a half, dozens of seminars, workshops, round tables, TV talk shows, and many other costly discussions, took place on traffic issues and tons of resolutions, recommendations, suggestions, advice, etc were poured in towards addressing the ever-increasing gridlock. Unfortunately non-pragmatic, and at times wrong, diagnosis of the root causes of the traffic complications, were loudly taken by the police and other concerned administrations like DMP, DCC, BRTA, etc which could not minimise the traffic congestion to a tolerable level. The result is the present horrendous traffic congestion in all parts of Dhaka city, be it posh area like Gulshan, Banani, or Dhanmondi, or business areas like Motijheel, Kawran Bazar, Mouchak-Rampura, New Market or Dilkusha. Surprisingly, during the tenure of past non-political caretaker government, decisions facilitating import of upto six-year old reconditioned cars (revising the previous order of 4 year-old cars) mainly from Japan was taken vide gazette notification dated July 30, 2008. This particular decision of facilitating import of 6-year old reconditioned cars/jeeps upto 1649cc, has started aggravating the existing acute traffic doldrums in the city of Dhaka in particular. As a result, another estimated 35-40,000 reconditioned cars will add to the already over-burdened transport fleet in the capital city by the end of the current fiscal year, and, as a result, movement on city roads will turn into total deadlock, both in the morning and afternoon hours. To get rid of this apprehended nightmare, I want to propose the following immediately implementable measures: * Facilitate import of at least 3-4,000 new 52-seat CNG buses through private sector to operate on Dhaka city roads under the total ownership and supervision of not more than ten operators. The government needs to assist the proposed operators in getting necessary fund/loans from banks at tolerable interest rates to purchase the buses. * The SRO allowing import of up to 6-year old reconditioned cars and facility of tax-free vehicles for MPs to be cancelled immediately. * After the import of the buses, the DCC may impose Tk. 5,000 as tax for making each new rickshaw, to be borne by the owner of the rickshaw making factory. * Rickshaws from all roads except lanes and by-lanes to be withdrawn through issuance of short notice by the DCC/DMP. * Taxes, duties, etc on smaller motorised vehicles including CNG auto-rickshaws may be tripled, if not more, after 50 percent of above-proposed buses are put to operation. * The number of traffic police personnel at different levels may be increased to at least three times the existing strength and the health/environment hazards allowance for the traffic police personnel should be introduced, which should be equal to their basic salary. * The BRTA, DOE, DCC (Engineering & Traffic Section) and DTCB's manpower, resources and logistics are to be increased at least three times than what they are today. Initially, the above seven prescriptions if implemented, of which the last six may be implemented within two to twelve weeks, and if these are done, the traffic congestion of the capital city will be resolved at least by 50 per cent within six months. The government may start implementing the above suggestions without any further loss of even a single day. Karar Mahmudul Hassan is a former Secretary. Email: karar.hassan@gmail.com.
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