National Road Safety Day tomorrow: President, PM issue messages

The National Road Safety Day will be observed in the country tomorrow in a befitting manner.

This year's theme of the day is "Ain Meney Sorokey Choli, Smart Bangladesh Gori" (Let us follow the law on road and build a smart Bangladesh).

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today issued separate messages on the eve of the National Road Safety Day.

The president, in his message, said there is no substitute for better transport system in building sustainable development and smart Bangladesh.

To that end, the multi-faceted initiative taken by the government to develop advanced and efficient communication system has opened a new horizon in the transport sector, he added.

Noting that a wide communication network has been developed across the country, the head of the state said that according to the Perspective Plan-2041, a plan has been undertaken to upgrade all highways of the country to six lanes by 2030 and to eight lanes by 2041.

Besides, construction of road dividers, simplification of dangerous turns, construction of flyovers, underpasses and overpasses, installation/restoration of traffic signs and signals, and training of drivers are continuing to ensure easy, comfortable and risk-free road communication, he mentioned.

In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took different programmes and plans to build a modern road transport system in the war-ravaged Bangladesh.

Within the year of 1974, he rebuilt all the bridges destroyed during the Liberation War and made those usable, she said.

Besides, Bangabandhu built several new bridges along with the construction of new roads, she said, adding that in the first five-year plan of the Bangladesh government, the father of the nation gave priority to the road transport sector and started building a modern road network.

"To make the road safer, we have taken various initiatives including installing dividers, simplifying turns, upgrading the road to 4 lanes, constructing restrooms for drivers on the highway and installing speed controllers," she said.

"We have formed a task force to bring discipline in the road transport sector, create efficient drivers and control accidents," she added.

The government aims to establish a modern, technology-based, advanced, sustainable and safe highway network, she mentioned.

In order to prevent road accidents and ensure road safety, he urged all concerned including transport owners-workers, passengers and pedestrians to work together from their respective positions with the government.

Both the president and the prime minister wished success of all programmes of the day.