Bangladesh News

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has let off 3,800 of the 4,300 unfit vehicles, seized in a month-long drive before Eid-ul-Fitr, on condition that they would not be run on city roads.

However, most of those outdated vehicles including buses and pick-ups have returned to city streets in violation of the agreement.

DMP had launched the special drive as part of the present government’s bid to ease nagging traffic congestion in the capital. But the drive seems to go in vain as the city residents continue to experience severe traffic jam in city streets.

The traffic department pointed out running of huge number of private vehicles on roads as one main cause of tailbacks.

Sources said many of the seized buses have already made their way back to city roads with faulty signal system and engines after being coated with paint.

Traffic department personnel along with members of the crime division, Ansar and community police have already been engaged in the move to deal with increased traffic congestion, DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque said on Wednesday.

“We are trying our best. But the situation has gone out of control as the number of motor vehicles has gone beyond the capacity of city roads,” he said.

The DMP Commissioner said they had returned 3,800 of the 4,300 unfit vehicles to their owners taking bonds that those would not be run on city roads.

“If any of those vehicles is found plying the city roads, stern action will be taken against its owner,” he said in reply to a query.

The DMP authorities earlier said they were compelled to let off the seized vehicles for not having any place to keep so many vehicles.

Moreover, thousands of illegal rickshaws ply the city roads contributing to traffic jams. Many are even seen running on almost all nine non-motorised transport (NMT) free roads where plying of rickshaws is prohibited.

In reply to another question, Shahidul Hoque said over five lakh illegal rickshaws run on the city roads and 4,000 of them had been seized and dumped.

The DMP commissioner said they cannot get tough on illegal rickshaws right now because of humanitarian reason as well as public demand for rickshaws.

“But we are trying to stop them using the non-motorised transport free roads,” he added.