No cases under new traffic law until Nov 14, says Transport Minister Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said it will take one more week to make the new transport law effective and sensitise the citizens about it.

“No cases will be filed until Nov 14 under the new law,” he said in an event at the BTRC in Dhaka on Thursday.

Within the time, the authorities will complete adding rules to the act, according to him.

The government passed the new legislation -- which came into effect on Nov 1 -- in the wake of unprecedented student protests after two college-goers were run over and killed by a bus in Dhaka last year.

Over the years, the government has taken a number of initiatives to bring order to the roads of Dhaka but to little avail.

"It’s a challenging job to implement the law. We need courage, honesty and commitment to make it effective,” said the minister.

"Punishment is imperative to bring discipline to the road. This is why people thronged the BRTA office for renewing the licences over the last several days. ”

The Road Transport Act, 2018  stipulates a five-year jail term or up to Tk 500,000 in fines or both for drivers involved in road traffic accidents while certain traffic violations are also deemed arrestable offences under the new legal framework.

The law also incorporates a demerit point system for drivers under which, points will be docked from a driver's licence for traffic infractions. The licence will be cancelled once all 12 of the allocated points are deducted.

Coming down heavily on the officials for their wrongdoings, Quader said, “I often worry about BRTA and BRTC. Off and on, these two organisations make negative headlines."

“They did not rectify themselves even after they had been transferred. Theft and corruption are in their blood.”

He promised to take strict measures against them and said the wrongdoers must be purged.