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Editorial

Keep unfit vehicles off roads

Time to implement laws


Bangladeshpost
Published : 17 Feb 2020 06:42 PM | Updated : 05 Sep 2020 02:00 PM

It is discouraging to note that hitherto more than 4.58 lakh unfit vehicles ply the roads across the country and 1.68 lakh of them operate in the capital alone. Against this backdrop the High Court on Sunday directed the government to form separate taskforces in all districts to monitor and stop unregistered and unfit vehicles from plying the roads.

According to law, it is mandatory for a vehicle to go through fitness check-up every year and have its fitness certificate renewed to ply the roads legally whereas a total of 70,000 vehicles owned by individuals, non-government educational institutions and commercial organisations are running with expired certificates.

Unfit vehicles and unskilled drivers are considered key reasons behind road crashes.  Reportedly, a number of unscrupulous BRTA officials provide licence to the unskilled drivers and fitness certificates to the unfit vehicles without taking any test. Also, many bus owners recruit drivers considering personal relationship and recommendations of known people without properly examining their driving skill. As a result, a large number of unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles get chance to ply the roads illegally. 


The mobile courts should go after

 the unfit vehicles on a regular 

basis instead of once in a while


As long as the practice of giving license to the unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles does not end, the grisly procession of deaths on the roads would continue. There is no denying that Mobile teams from Bangladesh Roads and Transport Authority (BRTA) often conducts drive against unfit vehicles, but the sheer  presence of such vehicles on the road exposes the failure of BRTA to tackle the problem effectively. It is often seen that when BRTA launches a mobile court drive, all the vehicles without fitness certificate go off the road, and then return when there is no danger of being caught. Hence BRTA should think about the effectiveness of its drive against unfit vehicles. The mobile courts should go after unfit vehicles on a regular basis instead of once in a while. 

When the authorities concerned cannot maintain integrity in terms of giving certificates to drivers and vehicles, it is not pragmatic to expect those drivers will maintain discipline on the roads. In this regard, a strong monitoring body equipped with modern technology and adequate manpower should be devised immediately.