Minister's resignation demanded

Speakers at a mourning rally yesterday demanded resignation of Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain for the dilapidated condition of roads and highways of the country, resulting in frequent road accidents.
Some 27 environmental, rights organisations and citizens' movement organisations organised the rally in front of Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University in memory of filmmaker Tareque Masud and chief executive officer of ATN News Ashfaque Munier Mishuk.
Tareque, Ashfaque and three others died on August 13 in a fatal road crash on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Manikganj.
Save The Environment Movement Chairman Abu Naser Khan claimed that the communications minister kept the people hostage by destroying the country's communication sector. “We demand his (communication minister's) immediate resignation,” he said.
“A case should be filed against the minister in the people's court for the mismanagement in the communication sector,” said Ibnul Syed Rana, chairman of Nirapad Development Foundation.
Prof Shamsul Wares of Asia Pacific University said the country has a scarcity of talented people and such road accidents are taking away these valuable lives.
Politicians are busy in the betterment of their own lives and not thinking about the people. Their negligence is creating resentment among the people, which may explode anytime. “Our political system is responsible for the deaths of the two talented people,” he said.
The other demands include immediate repair of damaged roads and highways, improving the country's rail and river transportation system to reduce dependency on road transport, punishing fake driving licence holders and bringing accountability in Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
Meanwhile, speakers at a seminar yesterday placed a 12-point recommendation including amendment to the motor vehicles ordinance to prevent road accidents.
Online news agency ptbnews.com organised the seminar on road safety at the city's Mukti Bhaban, says a press release.
The recommendations include strict enforcement of law in providing driving licences, providing training to drivers, increasing the number of highway police and punishing owners of vehicles liable for road accidents.
Communist Party of Bangladesh President Manzurul Ahsan Khan and former additional inspector general of police Abdur Rahim Khan spoke at the seminar.