Communications minister Barrister Nazmul Huda acknowledged that old buses have reappeared on the streets of Dhaka due to lax enforcement of the ban. He also pointed out that even the police's transport pool had vehicles that were over 20 years old. "When law enforcing agencies break the law, you can do little to check the situation," said Huda.

Sources in the traffic division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said that there were only 1261 traffic policemen and with that manpower, it was impossible to monitor and run constant checks for old and unfit buses besides performing other duties. Also, as only sergeants and other high police officials are empowered to take legal action, law enforcement becomes even more difficult as only 261 sergeants are available.

Assistant deputy commissioner of DMP traffic (North) Feroz Al Muzahid Khan admitted the presence of 20-year-old vehicles in government and police transport pools. But he said that without alternative arrangements, the problem would not go away. "If new vehicles are not provided, how will they travel? We can do nothing but ignore the use of outdated vehicles for the time being."

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in collaboration with the ministry had imposed the ban in 2002. The DMP also seized a good number of outdated vehicles during the first months of the ban. The DMP has also given clear instructions that all motorised vehicles that are less than 20 years old must take fitness and non-polluting clearance stickers from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Vehicles without such stickers are not officially allowed to ply on city roads.

Barrister Huda was also critical of the government offices that were using old buses. "When the ban came into effect the BRTA provided some buses for government use to discourage 20-year-old vehicles from coming out on the streets. It worked for a few days but now those old buses are back in operation again."

The ban was imposed so that it would have a substantial positive impact on the environment. It was supposed to reduce air pollution, traffic congestion, road accidents and commuting time.

There are gross discrepancies between the unofficial and official lists of buses operating on the roads of Dhaka. Some 917 buses and minibuses have registered with the BRTA until December 11, 2001 but the actual number at present is believed to be 2,978 according to private surveys. Officials of the Dhaka Urban Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) and the traffic division of DMP meanwhile say that there are around 5,800 buses. Interestingly, some 2000 registered and unregistered buses and minibuses were withdrawn from the roads of Dhaka city soon after the ban had been imposed. The buses that have number plates starting with the Bangla alphabet 'Cha' are at least 20 years old.

"The number plates indicate the age of vehicles so it is easy to identify and take off old buses," said Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, joint convener of the Association of Bus Companies, a forum of bus owners.

"Most of the 20-year-old buses have been shifted away from the capital and very few of those still remain," claimed Chowdhury.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to impose a fresh ban that would prohibit plying of buses and minibuses that are over 10 years old. The communications minister recently revealed the plan and hoped that the Dhaka Bus-Minibus Companies Association would cooperate in implementing the design.