Transport sector
Understanding between govt, transport owners essential to remove outdated buses, trucks
As soon as one steps onto the roads of Dhaka, one can see rickety buses and trucks puffing out black smoke right in people’s faces, with bus bodies so worn out they could collapse at any moment, posing a serious threat to passengers and pedestrians alike. Not only do they cause accidents, but the black smoke from these vehicles is also extremely harmful to the environment. The removal of these outdated buses and trucks has been discussed for a long time, but no government has been able to implement this properly; the reason being that most of these vehicles are controlled by local political leaders. The majority of vehicle owners are also either political figures themselves or have deep political affiliations within the transport sector. As a result, even the past Awami League government failed to provide any solution in this regard.
Political shifts occur, but market syndicates persist
It has been less than two and a half months since the interim government took charge, making it premature to conduct an in-depth analysis of its successes or failures. This government assumed responsibility amid complex challenges in both the political and economic realms. Its primary duty is to enact effective reforms in political and economic sectors to facilitate broad-based, participatory national elections that are considered credible both nationally and internationally. With this objective, the government has embarked on various reform initiatives, forming several committees to propose recommendations, which are expected within the next three months.
End extortion in transport sector
The transport sector in Bangladesh has long operated like an independent realm of plunder. Governments change, but the corruption, disorder, and irregularities within this sector remain unchanged. The power may shift hands, but the structure of exploitation does not. Extortion and unfit, dilapidated vehicles continue to operate just as they did before. As a result, whenever there is a change in government, we witness a scramble for control over the transport sector by different factions. This occurred after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, with opposition parties seizing control of the transport hubs.