Hardly a Matter of Law
With Eid shopping picking up tempo, Dhaka has turned into a nightmare for anybody with a mind to pace along its roads. Assortment of vehicles - both motorised and non-motorised keeps streets of arterial significance occupied from morning to late into the night. There is no way out of Dhaka's traffic gridlock these days even if it is a matter of life and death. Admittedly, it is not the sheer number of vehicles that is responsible for poor traffic mobility. Rather it is their variety which stifles mobility and creates congestion. Like their shapes, the pace of vehicles on Dhaka streets vary starkly.
What makes one worried about the situation is that the authorities seem to be as much indifferent as the man in the street. More than starvation of ideas , it seems to be a case of weakness of the will on their part. A Daily Star report on Saturday last quoted a senior police official having observed that absence of laws against NMV( non-motorised vehicles) renders law enforcers' job well nigh impossible.
While the police official's point goes a long way in evoking sympathy over the impossibility of his community's job , it does not hold as good when it comes to life-like situation. True, the I983 ordinance does not have any room for legal measure against NMV, but would it, if there were any, have made a miraculous difference? Not much, we are afraid.
The real problem or challenge lies in checking the arrival of new rickshaws on the roads - stopping the issuance of fake licences. No law or road rule will make any difference unless the generative source is plugged. This we think is more of a management crisis--a crisis due to lack of coordination among relevant government agencies and ministries-- than a legalistic one. Dhaka City Corporation, the licensing authority will have to take a firm stance on the issue of new licences.
Only a strong political will goaded by an unflinching commitment to Dhaka's future can make any difference.
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