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Public transport fares up for what?


Published : 02 Jun 2020 10:03 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 04:59 PM

Conditions on which fare hikes of up to 60 percent for public transports were authorized, remain almost unmet.
Most of the public transports are not carrying passengers maintaining social distancing or following health directives. Under these circumstances, the risk of the deadly coronavirus spreading through public transportation is intensifying.

The government allowed the increase in public transport fares of up to 60 percent on some conditions. The fare has been increased so that the transports maintain health directives and carry not more that 50 percent passengers.

The public transport system has been resumed after a long holiday of over two months. To avoid corona infection, the government has allowed public transport to run conditionally in compliance with health rules. But, except for train services, all the transports are violating all these rules. Buses and launches are seen carrying the highest number of passengers.

Unfortunately, there is no way to monitor whether the government orders and health directives are being followed. In this situation, passengers and concerned citizens are expressing anxiety over the mismanagement.

Khandaker Enayet Ullah, general secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association, however claimed that buses are plying maintaining all the rules and directives. He said they were carrying only 50 percent of the passengers.

But witnesses spoke to the contrary. Most of the buses leave the counters with 50 percent of passengers, but are collecting many more along the roads to dodge the eyes of the regulatory bodies.

Besides, passengers were seen getting into buses or launches without maintaining any kind health directives. Moreover, most of the buses and launches are not supplying sanitizers to passengers.

According to the latest information, 37 people died with coronavirus infection in 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on Tuesday.

The death toll now stands at 709 and the death rate at 1.35 percent, said Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of DGHS, during a briefing.

Two thousand nine hundred and eleven have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of infected has reached 52,445.