Professional driving licence: Dope test begins countrywide

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority yesterday started the process to take negative dope test reports before issuance or renewal of professional driving licenses.

On the first day, BRTA officials provided the license seekers with a form to fill up and asked them to go to the designated hospitals for carrying out the dope test.

After receiving the report, the applicant will submit it to the BRTA office concerned and the hospital authorities will also send a copy to BRTA.

If the test result comes out negative or does not contain any negative comments, the applicant would be eligible for getting a professional driving license.

BRTA started the process, which may face huge challenges due to the lack of testing facilities and preparations at the designated hospitals in the capital.

According to a decision of the authorities concerned, negative dope test reports from government-affiliated hospitals or laboratories will be mandatory to get or renew professional driving licences from today.

Six government hospitals were designated for the dope tests in the city.

The Daily Star contacted the authorities of five of the hospitals on Saturday.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Kurmitola General Hospital said they would not be able to do the tests for now while another said they were not even aware of the matter.

Two other hospitals said they had "limited capacity" to carry out the tests.

Yesterday, Afzal Hossain came to BRTA's Mirpur circle office to get a professional driving license and a BRTA official gave him a form and asked him to go to Kurmitola Hospital for the test.

Talking to this correspondent at 2:30pm, Afzal, a resident of Mirpur, said he would go to the hospital today for the dope test.

Asked about lack of preparation at hospitals, Mohammad Shahidullah, deputy director of BRTA's Mirpur office, said they fixed the hospital upon consultation with the authorities concerned.

However, as a new system, some problems may arise but things will be normal within a week, he said.

The BRTA started the dope test system more than a year after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 22, 2020, gave directives to bring public transport workers under a dope-testing system as drug addiction of drivers is considered as a major reason behind road accidents.