Understanding between govt, transport owners essential to remove outdated buses, trucks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 The removal of these outdated buses and trucks has been discussed for a long time, but no government has been able to implement this properly; the reason being that most of these vehicles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.

Encouragingly, the current interim government has taken a strict initiative in this matter. The government gave a six-month deadline to remove outdated buses and trucks from the roads, which ended last May. The government had earlier announced that buses over 20 years old and trucks over 25 years old would be seized. According to information published in the media, the number of old, rickety vehicles in the country stands at 80,309. Even after being given six months, the vehicle owners did not remove these rickety vehicles from the roads. Consequently, the government has now taken the initiative to evict old vehicles. From Sunday (July 20), a drive began in Dhaka and surrounding areas under the leadership of executive magistrates. For the first time, this drive will take place not only during the day but also at night. However, as before, transport owners and workers are unwilling to accept this operation. They have even threatened to go on strike.

According to BRTA sources, a meeting was held at BRTA on June 24 regarding the removal of old vehicles from the roads. In addition to BRTA officials, transport owners’ and workers’ representatives were present at the meeting. It was decided at the meeting that old vehicles would be seized and sent to dumping stations. On the other hand, the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association stated that the government has no policy regarding how these old vehicles would be scrapped once removed, or whether the owners would be allowed to bring in a replacement bus or truck. Furthermore, the government has spoken of providing loans on easy terms to introduce new vehicles in place of old buses and trucks. But Bangladesh Bank has not issued any circular in this regard. As a result, transport owners and workers across the country are aggrieved and considering going on strike.

It is evident that the matter is becoming increasingly complicated due to arguments from both sides. There are concerns that this issue may escalate further in the future. While the government must be strict in removing outdated buses and trucks from the roads, it must also ensure that transport owners do not suffer losses. Transport owners must cooperate with the government. Transport owners must also recognise that outdated buses and trucks are a threat to both the environment and human life. A proper solution must be reached through discussions between the government and the owners. If the government conducts strict drives on one hand, and on the other, transport owners and workers threaten strikes, the matter will not be resolved properly.