BRTA to set up 12 more vehicle tracking stations
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority is set to increase its capacity to track stolen vehicles and monitor traffic movement by setting up 12 additional radio-frequency identification (RFID) stations at the capital's entry and exit points over the next 12 months.
The move comes amid criticism that vehicle owners barely benefit from the services, despite paying for them, due to the limited number of RFID checkpoints, said BRTA officials.
Following BRTA's request, Dhaka Metropolitan Police has identified 36 spots for setting up the RFID stations, and BRTA has called a stakeholder meeting today to determine the 12 new locations among those. Representatives from police, Roads and Highways Department, Dhaka city corporations, and vendors are expected to attend the meeting.
Since introducing digital number plates with RFID tags in 2012, BRTA has aimed to track vehicles used in criminal activities and tax evasion.
Motorcycle or three-wheeler owners pay Tk 2,260 and four-wheeler owners Tk 4,628 for the mandatory plates and RFID tags.
When a vehicle passes through an RFID reader, the latter can retrieve its registration information, fitness certificate status, and tax owed if any. The tag-reading stations send the data to the BRTA database. The police or the vehicle owners, upon filing a case or general diary, can obtain information from there.
However, owners have reportedly been unable to enjoy the benefits due to the lack of check-posts to read the tags and the absence of dedicated personnel to monitor the system.
When a vehicle passes through an RFID reader, the latter can retrieve its registration information, fitness certificate status, and tax owed if any. The tag-reading stations send the data to the BRTA database. The police or the vehicle owners, upon filing a case or general diary, can obtain information from there.
Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas, director (engineering) of BRTA, said the existing 12 stations are not enough to track vehicles, so they are going to add 12 more, mainly at entry and exit points of the capital.
"We hope to complete setting up the stations within the next six months," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
However, many people, even after giving money for the RFID tags, do not install them in their vehicle, leading BRTA, on many occasions, to publish advertisements asking motorists to take the plates and RFID tags or face legal action.
Besides, a recent survey by BRTA found that many of the tags are not functional.
"So, we are replacing those when a vehicle is brought to BRTA for fitness clearance," Sitangshu said.
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