Quader says he is 'embarrassed' by road accidents

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader asked the authorities concerned to beef up monitoring to reduce road accidents, a topic for which he said had to face "embarrassing" criticism in the parliament.

He also asked them to continue the monitoring even after Eid to reduce road crashes, as drivers tend to drive recklessly during the Eid return journey.

He said he faced severe criticism following several major road accidents after the Eid-ul Fitr.

"The issue was even discussed in the parliament. The matter embarrassed me," he said after a preparatory meeting at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) headquarters ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Quader said he had to face criticism as the minister of the concerned department, although he is not directly responsible for it.

Operations of goods-laden vehicles will be suspended for three days before and after Eid-ul-Azha, he added.

However, vehicles carrying essential goods, fuel, and medicine will remain out of the purview, he added.