Drive against unfit vehicles and illegal drivers

It is heartening to note that the Dhaka South City Corporation and the relevant agencies will launch a joint drive against over 20-year-old buses, unfit vehicles, and illegal drivers in the capital starting next month. But what begs the question is why special drives have to be launched when it is within the normal everyday routine duty of the agencies to see that unfit vehicles and dangerous drivers are kept off road at all times? However, we hope that the initiative will reduce congestion and accidents on the roads.

Given the degree of road congestion in Dhaka and the number of unfit vehicles that ply the roads - endangering the lives of commuters - the necessity of such a drive cannot be overstressed. It is necessary to remind that on average, 64 people die every day from injuries suffered in traffic accidents – according to a recent government supervised survey. The authorities had announced plans to carry out similar drives on numerous occasions in the past, regrettably without much effect.

Disappointingly, once the announcements are made and initial stages completed, the authorities fail to follow through with their promise, and the initiatives simply peter out. Without the necessary determination on the part of the authorities and a well coordinated plan of action, one might, unfortunately, see the same outcome.

If the separate bodies involved in the drive perform their tasks dutifully without being influenced by external pressures - political or financial - the drive can be a success. That is exactly what we hope to see from the authorities.