Gazette notification within this month

The government is expected to issue necessary gazette notification within this month to make the Road Transport Act-2018 functional, officials said yesterday.

Although different organisations of transport workers are demanding amendment, the government would not bring any change to the act right now, they said.

The decision was taken at a high profile meeting at Road Transport and Bridges Ministry with the minister Obaidul Quader in the chair.

Chiefs of departments under the ministry, directors of ongoing projects, zone chiefs of Roads and Highways Department, and high officials of the ministry took part in the meeting.

“The law will be made operational by issuing gazette within this month,” Nazrul Islam, secretary to Road Transport and Bridges Division, told The Daily Star.

Talking to journalists on Saturday, Quader said the act would come into force “right now” and there was no need to issue a gazette to put the law into effect.

However, yesterday, the minister asked the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to make the law operational before next month, a participant of the meeting said.

Following the passing of the act, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation observed a strike on October 28-29 last year to press home their eight-point demand of amending some sections of the act.

The meeting was told that the draft of the act was finalised after consulting all stakeholders, including transport leaders, and thus no change should be made right now, another participant said.

In November last year, Secretary Nazrul told The Daily Star that the act could not take effect as officials had not been able to prepare its rules.

Yesterday, he said they have already asked Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to prepare a draft of rules and will take help from consultants, if necessary, to give it a final touch.

OTHER DIRECTIVES

Quader directed the authorities concerned to complete the repair work, while ensuring quality, of roads and highways across the country before the rainy season.

He said the drive to evict vegetable and stationery shops on roads and highways has already started.

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