Road Transport: Quader owns up to failure to bring order

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday admitted his failure in bringing discipline to the road transport sector.

“The caravan of death hasn't stopped yet. So haven't the irregularities and indiscipline…We still have a major failure here.

“Being the minister, I can't shrug off responsibility,” he said.

Quader made the comments while speaking at a discussion marking the National Road Safety Day, which was observed yesterday, organised by the  Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and Road Transport and Highway Division at the capital's Krishibid Institute.

“Saying that I have done this and that will just be worthless if I can't bring discipline to the road and transport sector,” he added.

Quader, who has been at the helm of the ministry for the last seven years, made the comments  against the backdrop of continued indiscipline in the sector following some minor changes, three months after the unprecedented student movement for road safety.

The number of casualties on the roads has meanwhile kept on rising with at least 713 people killed and 2,068 injured in 667 accidents between August and September, according to data of National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways.

Quader, also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, said that while the country's infrastructure was being modernised, discipline remained essential.

“However, only elevated expressway, metro rail, flyover, four and six lanes [highways] will not solve problem…No matter how many structures we build, our main necessity is to bring discipline to the road and transport sectors,” he said.

He said the lack of awareness was more important than engineering problems or those related to the enforcement of laws.

“We could not make much progress in building awareness.”

He also turned the spotlight on politicians, in regards to raising awareness and following the rules. “If we want to change the scenario of indiscipline in the transport sector, we [politicians] need to change. We enact laws and we break laws as well.”

Referring to the perennial traffic jam, he said, “If someone praises me or terms me a successful minister, I feel pain and embarrassment…when we will be able to stop this [jam].”

He also highlighted that more accidents occurred on the four lane highways as three-wheelers were still plying those highways.

“We have banned three-wheelers on 22 highways and police and administration are working [to execute the ban]. However, we still can't stop it.”

He said the number of three-wheelers plying the highways had already decreased and would decrease further if that was not supported by political leaders.

“Lawmakers and ministers think if we stop plying of three-wheelers, it will adversely affect vote numbers. The politics of votes is an obstacle to bringing discipline to this sector,” he said.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, who was present at the discussion, said the main reasons for the accidents were motorcycles and three-wheelers, not buses and trucks.

Terming the Road Transport Act-2018 a time-befitting law, Shajahan, also the executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, said it would help curb accidents.

At the programme, prominent road safety campaigner Ilias Kanchan emphasised on obeying the law to ensure road safety.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister AKM Shahjahan Kamal, State Minister for LGRD Moshiur Rahman Ranga, also president of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, Akabbar Hossain ,chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on road transport and bridges ministry, AL MP Monirul Islam, among others, also spoke at the programme with Nazrul Islam, secretary of road transport and highway division in the chair.