Another day, another crash, 14 more killed
Fourteen people, including five of a family, were killed in a road crash in Faridpur yesterday, exposing a serious lack of monitoring and enforcement of road safety laws.
The accident took place in Faridpur Sadar's Kanaipur area on Dhaka-Magura route around 7:45am when a Magura-bound bus of Uttara Unique Paribahan collided with a Faridpur-bound pickup.
The bus had been operating without a fitness clearance and tax token for over three years.
According to sources at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, that bus was not even supposed to be on that particular route.
It only had a route permit for the Chattogram-Bogura route, but that too has not been updated since December 2021, they said.
Despite these violations, the long-haul bus has been in operation right under the noses of the authorities concerned.
Meanwhile, the pickup was carrying passengers despite a law barring goods-carrying vehicles from doing so, BRTA officials said.
Morshed Alam, superintendent of police in Faridpur, yesterday told The Daily Star, "The bus's speeding might be a cause. We are investigating the accident."
He said 11 people died on the spot, one died on the way to hospital, while two were declared dead on arrival at hospitals. All the victims were passengers of the pickup, police said.
The victims are Marjina Begum, 73, her daughter Sumi Begum, 30, son-in-law Milan Molla, 55, and her grandsons Ruhan, 8, Abu Sinan, 3; Tabibur Khan, 55; Nazrul Islam, 35; Jahanara Begum, 45; Soniya Begum, 28; Nurani, 2; Kahinur Begum, 60; Sukurunnesa, 70; Surja Begum, 40; and Iqbal, 30.
They hailed from different villages in Faridpur's Boammari and Alfadanga upazilas.
Sahana Begum, an eyewitness of Kanaipara's Diknagar village, said when the bus was moving towards Magura, one of its wheels fell into a pothole on the road, which caused it to lose direction. Just then, the pickup crashed into it.
Asked, Salauddin Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Karimpur Highway Police Station, said there was pothole there but the road authority had repaired it before the Eid. "The increased operation of vehicles during the Eid rush could have created a dent but it wasn't significant enough to cause such an accident."
NO FITNESS, NO PERMIT
According to BRTA sources, the bus last took an annual fitness clearance in December 2019, which expired a year later.
As per section 75 of the Road Transport Act-2018, a person may face up to six months in jail or Tk 25,000 fine or both for operating vehicles without fitness clearance.
BRTA sources said the bus last updated its tax token in December 2019, which expired in November 2020.
As per section 76 of the same act, a person may face up to Tk 10,000 fine for operating a vehicle without valid or outdated tax token.
The bus had permission to ply the Chattogram-Bogura route, but the validity of the permit expired in December 2021, sources said.
As per section 77 of the Road Transport Act-2018, a person may face up to three months' jail or Tk 20,000 fine, or both, for operating vehicle on a route without a permit.
WHO OWNS THE BUS?
As per BRTA documents, Shamsul Huda, son of Ishaque Miah of Dhaka's Tejgaon area, owns the bus.
Contacted, Shamsul said he sold the bus to one Nazmul Hossain five to six years ago.
However, the bus was still using the banner of Shamsul's company – "Unique Paribahan".
Asked whether the new owner can use his company's banner, Shamsul said, "They can't use it. I was not aware that they were using it. But this happens with many buses.
"I already gave the sale receipt to the new owner [Nazmul]. I don't know why he didn't update the ownership document accordingly with the BRTA."
The Daily Star could not reach Nazmul Hossain for comments.
OC Salauddin said he was not aware that the bus had no route permit or fitness clearance.
"We will investigate and everything will be unveiled then," he told The Daily Star over phone.
"However, as far as I have heard, at least five cases were earlier filed against Unique Paribahan."