Dhaka Mass Transit Authority to be formed

The government is set to form Dhaka Mass Transit Authority (DMTA) abolishing the existing Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) to look after the city's transport system, said Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain at a seminar yesterday.

DTCB and Japan Inter-national Cooperation Agency (Jica) jointly organsied the daylong seminar on 'Urban and Transport Development in Dhaka' under the Jica project Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study (DHUTS) at a city hotel.

“The DMTA Act 2009 will soon be passed in the parliament to institute a more efficient and empowered body for Dhaka's transportation system,” said the minister.

The new body is intended to remove the inadequacies of DTCB that has so far been unable to function effectively thanks to lack of coordination between the communications ministry and Dhaka City Corporation, he said.

The act will also have provisions to institute Dhaka Metro Rail Authority and other subsidiary bodies, said the minister.

Toshio Kimura, DHUTS Team Leader, said in his presentation that rationale of the proposed rail-based Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Dhaka city is to provide the city dwellers with mobility, reduce vehicle operation costs and travel time.

DHUTS vision, in line with the urban development needs and Strategic Transport Plan, is to develop a sustainable and efficient multi-modal transportation system, facilitate urban development and maintain a healthy environment, he said.

The communications minister also said that Dhaka has four or five transportation corridors and the government is getting proposals from the concessionaries to develop the main corridors.

Jica study will provide interim findings and help avoid overlapping of routes and solve transport problems, he said.

The government also has a plan to establish Dhaka-Jessore rail connectivity through the proposed Padma Bridge, he added.

Communications Secretary Md Mozammel Haque Khan, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Tamotsu Shinotsuka and Jica Resident Representative Dr Takao Toda also spoke at the inaugural session chaired by Prof Alamgir Mojibul Haque of Buet.