ENFORCEMENT failure lurks as the authorities meant to keep road regime disciplined have failed to keep unfit and unauthorised vehicles off the road. Unfit vehicles such as buses, trucks, pickups and privately owned cars continue to create chaos on the road in a few ways. Whilst unfit vehicles keep emitting black smoke, adding to the air pollution which often makes the headlines, they also add to the risks of traffic accidents in the bustling capital city. Unauthorised vehicles such as battery-run rickshaws and auto-rickshaws keep adding to congestion on the road as they keep plying major roads. Coupled with all this is the non-compliance by city services buses, which pick up and drop passengers often in the middle of the road, creating congestion and adding to the risks of accidents. Vehicles, especially privately owned cars, are parked lining, and even on, the road, aggravating the situation. Whilst all this strain people鈥檚 daily life on the road, the situation has also put the authorities in dilemma of a sort in some cases as any drastic measures suddenly taken against unfit and unauthorised vehicles could land thousands of passengers in trouble as it has been noticed in the past when especially city buses remain off the road to evade enforcement and subsequent punishment.
The Dhaka Road Transport Owners鈥� Association, as 抖阴精品 reported on October 12, says that it has asked bus owners and companies to keep unfit and rundown vehicles off the road, giving them a month to do the job after which the association would ask the police to take action. But what comes striking is that why the police would not take action against unfit and rundown vehicles on its own and why the police would act on the request of the association. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police say that it has already taken action against 6,500 buses and 50,000 battery-run rickshaws and seized two vehicles since September 22. Whilst the number of buses that the police seized in three weeks for breach of laws is ludicrous, the police should remember that without making an alternative arrangement for city service, it is almost impossible for them to abruptly keep unfit vehicles off the road as it would cause passengers immense sufferings. Likewise, without making an alternative arrangement for the people who run battery-run rickshaws, it is equally impossible for them to keep battery-run rickshaws off the road. But they can certainly stop battery-run rickshaws from plying major roads. The police try to pass the responsibility onto the Power Division for taking action against charging stations to stop battery-run rickshaws. It could be an option but the primary duty for road management remains with the police. The police also blame individual road users and transport workers for chaos on the road. But this also speaks about the failure of education in road regime.
All the authorities concerned should, therefore, work out a holistic approach to improve road governance and put it to work with the required strictness. But they should do it all, early and in earnest.
