Call to ensure safe roads

Cross section of people took part in a rally at Panchagarh Shaheed Minar premises in the town yesterday demanding effective steps for ensuring safe roads.

At the gathering under the banner of 'Bachao Panchagarh, Bachte chai...nirapad sarak chai', they placed a seven-point demand and warned of launching a tougher movement if the authorities concerned fail to meet the demands within seven days. 

The seven-point demand includes building speed-breakers at different accident-prone points, bypass road to ease pressure of vehicles on busy town roads, imposing speed limits on vehicles from Panchagarh BGB Battalion point to PTI School point on Banglabandha-Dhaka highway, stopping haphazard parking on roads, evicting footpath occupiers, not allowing drivers without licenses and imposing ban on plying of improvised three-wheelers like nasiman and kariman on highways.  

Unsafe roads often cause tragic deaths and injuries to people, speakers said at the rally. 

At least ten people were killed and 23 others were injured in road accidents in the district in last two months, said Raziur Rahman, district unit general secretary of Nirapad Sarak Chai.  

People from all walks of life took part in the programme presided over by Panchagarh Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Anwar Sadaat.

 At an emergency meeting of District Road Safety Committee with the deputy commissioner of Panchagarh in the chair, a six-member committee was formed headed by Dev Dayal Sarcar, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department of Panchagarh.

The committee has been asked to place recommendations within 72 hours to check road accidents.

The meeting also decided to conduct drives at different points on the roads and highways in the district to control over speed and overloading and stopping haphazard parking of vehicles to prevent accidents.