BRTC incurs Tk 17.76 crore loss for hartals

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation incurred losses of over Tk 17.76 crore due to hartals since December last year.
He said at least 126 buses were damaged, 10 of them burned, causing a loss of over Tk 3.91 crore. Besides, over Tk 13.86 in revenue could not be earned during the hartals.
The minister was briefing reporters before a meeting with BRTC acting chairman Col Abdullahel Karim and other top officials at the organisation's headquarters in the capital.
"Just when BRTC is emerging as a profitable organisation, political unrest is causing major setbacks for it," he said.
Obaidul also said BRTC would procure 88 new air-conditioned buses from India, out of which around 20 buses would be arriving in Dhaka this month. The buses would be deployed on different inter-district routes.
"We have planned to introduce at least two articulated buses in each divisional headquarters from May. We are scrutinising the overall situation," he said.
Acknowledging there were still irregularities and corruption within BRTC, he warned officials and employees of stern action if any charges against them were proved.