Dhaka, July 31 – In a major development, the High Court yesterday directed the government to constitute a national independent inquiry committee including at least 15 experts to conduct a survey on the fitness of the public motor vehicles in order to avoid road accidents across the country. The HC bench also asked the inquiry committee to submit a report before it within three months about the numbers of fit and unfit motor vehicles plying across the country after conducting a survey on the vehicles.
It asked secretaries to the ministries of transport and bridges, and home affairs and the chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to form the national committee immediately and to submit the survey report before the HC within three months.
In response to a public interest litigation (PIL), the HC bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal also issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why its failure and inaction to monitor and ensure the fitness of motor vehicles should not be declared illegal.
It also asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to stop plying of the unfit vehicles and why its failure to stop plying of unfit vehicles should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries to the ministries of transport and bridges, and home affairs and the chairman of BRTA, Inspector General of Police (IGP), BRTA’s directors for the road safety and the enforcement have been made respondents reply to the rule within four weeks.
The HC bench came up with the directives and rule following a PIL petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Md Tanvir Ahmed seeking necessary order over the matter.
The petition and the HC order came up at a time when thousands of students blockade the streets several key points of the capital city of Dhaka demanding safe road.
After the HC order, Tanvir told reporters that many vehicles have not adequate looking glass, brake lights, signal lights and even they have not internal and external fitness for which accidents are taking place and people are losing their lives. But, as per the constitution, nobody can be deprived of life without the legal procedure, he added.
Article 32 of the constitution says, “No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.”
In response to a query, he said that he told the High Court that many accidents have taken place due to lack of fitness of the vehicles.
Lack of fitness of the car was the reason for the accident in which of renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud, cinematographer Mishuk Munier were killed in August 2011, he argued.
Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul represented for the state.
Earlier on July 9, Tanvir sent a legal notice asking the chairman of BRTA to take adequate measures to stop the plying of unfit vehicles in order to prevent the road accident and safety of people lives.
But, the BRTA did not reply to the legal notice. Hence, we have filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its directives over the matter, Tanvir said.
According to reports, road traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities are causing great concern to the community in Bangladesh.
Official statistics said that there were at least 3334 fatalities and 3740 injuries in 4114 reported accidents in 2003. It is estimated that the actual fatalities could well be 10000-12000 each year.
According to a report prepared by National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways, at least 2,471 people were killed on roads this year.
Blaming unruly transport sector by large for the rally of the dead, the report said that nearly 6,000 others were injured in 2,353 road crashes during the January-June 2017 period. – Staff Reporter
