Every Dhaka street will have CCTV coverage

All roads in the capital will be brought under CCTV camera coverage, which would benefit the city's traffic management and help control crime, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said yesterday.

He was speaking at the ninth general assembly of "Nirapad Sarak Chai", a platform working to ensure safe roads.

"We are taking initiatives to make Dhaka a safe city. We will bring the whole city under CCTV camera coverage. If we can do it, then we will do the same for Chattogram and Rajshahi cities. We are working towards achieving that goal. It will benefit many areas, particularly in traffic and crime control," the minister said at an event held in the capital's Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Asaduzzaman said many people point fingers at transport workers for road accidents, but many pedestrians often jaywalk.

"That's why we need to change our mindset. We should abide by traffic laws. We should use seat belts and keep vehicle speed in check. Many of us don't do those."

The minister said a city should have roads covering 25 percent of its area, but roads in Dhaka cover nine percent. There are no parking areas along the roads, yet many park their vehicles on streets, making it difficult for others to move at a certain speed, he added.

He said enough facilities were yet to be provided to truck drivers, and the owners could not fix proper duty hours for the drivers.

"We have not been able to hold many meetings due to the pandemic. The task force was working to implement the 111-point demand for safer roads. As the situation is normal now, hopefully the work can progress quickly."

Nirapad Sarak Chai Chairman Ilias Kanchan and Shilpakala Academy Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky, among others, addressed the programme.

A committee led by former minister Shajahan Khan, also a transport workers' leader, made 111 recommendations in 2019 to lessen road accidents and make roads safer. Later that year, a taskforce headed by the home minister was formed.