DHAKA NEWS
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said a major aim of her government is to ease the availability of transport for the low income group using the facilities of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC).
She directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps and work with devotion to this end and hoped that the BRTC would turned into a more modern and multipurpose service-oriented organisation in future.
“I never think about the plight of the rich people in the luxurious cars during a traffic jam. I always think about the sufferings of the middle income, low income and poor people on the roads,” Hasina said while inaugurating the operation of 33 double-decker buses of the state-owned BRTC at a function at the PM’s Office.
She said the existing system of special bus services during various important events in the country including Eid vacation and Biswa Ijtema would be strengthened further in the future.
The prime minister said the standard of BRTC service is increasing day by day through the introduction of e-ticketing and prepaid card system in the big cities which would be extended across the country in phases.
She underscored the need for massive training for the drivers to avoid accidents. At the same time, she asked the Home Ministry and the BRTA to take joint initiative to create mass awareness about the traffic rules and signs through Bangladesh Betar, BTV and other private channels.
Hasina said the inter-district commuter train service should be strengthened to reduce the pressure on roads.
She said the present government attached priority on railway and river communications to reduce travel cost, save time and ensure safe journey.
The prime minister mentioned that the 33 double-deckers, which are put into operation on Tuesday, are part of the 290 buses purchased from India under a US$ 24 million project in a bid to ease transport crisis in the capital and other parts of the country.
Besides, she said, import of 100 single-decker air-conditioned buses and 50 articulated buses from India is under process while 500 trucks would be added to the BRTC’s truck fleet.
Hasina said students of 26 educational institutions will now be able to go to their schools safely as 14 BRTC buses have been pressed into service on the streets of Dhaka. The number of buses would be increased further in phases.
She said female bus service has been introduced in the capital for the convenient of working women, while 125 staff buses have been pressed into service on the streets for the convenient of the office goers.
She mentioned that 275 single-decker CNG buses were imported from China, while 255 modern AC and non-AC CNG buses were procured from South Korea, which are plying on different routes of the capital.
The prime minister directed the BRTC authorities to realise the arrears of the organisation through arbitration and legal methods.
She said that after taking office this time, her government has been working to turn BRTC into a more effective organisation by addressing the problems left behind by the four-party alliance government.
She noted that international bus service has been introduced on Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka and Dhaka-Agartala-Dhaka routes, while discussion is underway to introduce bus services on Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka, Dhaka-Shillong-Dhaka, and Dhaka-Guwahati-Dhaka routes.
Hasina said her government has given priority to the development of the communication sector.
The construction work of a number of flyovers and elevated expressway is going on to remove the nagging traffic jam in the capital, while the construction work of the 11 big bridges were completed in different districts, she added.
Communications Obaidul Quader, Roads Division Secretary MN Siddiqui, acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Sanjoy Bhattacharya and BRTC Chairman Major MM Iqbal also spoke on the occasion.
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