Dope test for drivers
The authorities will start running random drug tests on motor vehicle drivers at different points across Dhaka city on December 1, aiming to curb road accidents, a transport leader said yesterday.
Mobile courts will conduct the drive because almost half of the public vehicle drivers in the capital are believed to be addicted, said Khondaker Enayet Ullah, general secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association.
He made the announcement at a special joint meeting of transport owners and workers at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. The meeting came weeks after three road accidents in the capital brought the road safety issue into the fore once again.
Krishna Roy Chowdhury, 55, assistant manager (accounts) at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), lost her left leg after a bus of Trust Transport Services ran her over on a pavement at Banglamotor last month.
On September 5, a Victor Classic Paribahan bus ran over and killed singer and music composer Parvez Rob, when he was trying to board another bus in Turag area.
Two days later, his son Yamin Alvi and some of his friends spotted another bus of the same company in Uttara. When they tried to stop it, the vehicle hit them, badly injuring Alvi and killing one of his friends instantly, police and family members said.
At yesterday’s meeting, Enayet Ullah said around 40 to 50 percent of drivers in Dhaka city, especially of buses, are addicted to various drugs, and addiction is the first and main reason for accidents in the capital. “We came to know about it by talking with bus company owners, workers and making field visits.”
Enayet, also the convener of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad, a platform of transport owners and workers, said that if a driver tests positive for drug abuse, he will be sent to jail directly and his licence will be revoked.
The mobile courts will test urine samples on the spot, and if the driver is found guilty, one from a pool of drivers on standby will take the wheel, he said.
Voicing a note of caution, he said, “I am giving you [drivers] more than two months. Those of you, who are addicted, either come back to normal life or give up driving.”
Enayet said he has already talked to the secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division and the chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and promised to assist the move.
Another major cause of accidents is the trip-based operation of buses, which triggers an unhealthy competition between buses, the transport leader said.
Many bus owners rent out their vehicles to drivers on daily contracts. Under this arrangement, drivers pay a specific amount to the owner and keep the rest to them. To maximise profits, they drive recklessly to make as many trips as possible in a day.
On several occasions, transport leaders had decided to abolish the system, but things have not changed yet.
Enayet yesterday said they have worked to stop the trip system but could not succeed as many owners reverted to the system again.
“We are working with the city corporations to set up designated ticket counters so that bus owners can sell tickets there and control the buses properly. Once the owners have control over their income, they will stop trip-based operation,” he said.
Referring to several media reports on road accidents, Enayet, said, “We have invested a huge amount of money in transport business but we are hearing this kind of news because our sector is full of irregularities. So we have to be strict.”
Talking about irregularities, Sadiqur Rahman Hiru, senior vice president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, said, “We can’t show our face in society for this.
“Even my granddaughter posted a Facebook status seeking road safety and asked me why we can’t ensure safe roads,” he said, adding, “If you [drivers] believe that we are working for your wellbeing, it’s your duty to protect our honour.”
Several drivers and transport owners also spoke at the programme.
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