Seeing unfit vehicles off the street

We wholeheartedly welcome the High Court's directive to stop unfit motor vehicles from plying on the roads. The HC's suo moto rule to freeze around 19 lakh fake driving licences is also a laudatory move. 

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of deaths during travel. Research conducted by concerned private organisations has put the figure of road fatalities above 5,000 per year. A newspaper report revealed that 60 percent of accidents are caused by negligence of drivers, many of whom are adolescents. The numbers speak for themselves.

At this point, it is safe to say that the issue of unauthorised vehicles and illicit drivers have gone beyond the realm of ad hocism. Despite assurances by the government time and again that such malpractices will be monitored and tackled head on, we are yet to see visible results, suggesting the presence of a systemic problem.

While we commend the HC for intervening on this issue, it must be noted that reversing the deplorable state of the ground reality requires coordination and cooperation of all stakeholders. We hope that the concerned authorities will diligently follow up on the report to be submitted by the BRTA within 30 days after complying with the order. We also urge the government to immediately take measures to install effective surveillance and monitoring by the traffic police and instill a sense of accountability across the board -- from licence issuing authorities to law enforcing agencies to those behind the wheel.