Shimul Biswas calls for police-owner-worker unity to restore order on Dhaka roads

A coordinated effort by police, transport owners, workers and journalists is needed to end Dhaka's traffic congestion, road chaos and insecurity of life and property, MP and Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council chief coordinator Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas has said.

He said that if friendship, unity and coordination are built among these four sides, restoring order on the roads will not be difficult. In his words, if the capital Dhaka becomes orderly, its positive impact will spread across the country.

He made the remarks on Sunday (1 November) afternoon as chief guest at a programme on franchise-based bus operations under the bus route rationalisation programme, organised by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) in front of the National Parliament building on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital.

Shimul Biswas said everyone wants an end to Dhaka's present chaotic state, unbearable congestion and insecurity of people's lives and property, and someone has to step forward to change it. Noting that nearly 37.5 million people live in Dhaka, he said establishing discipline in road transport in such a populous city is now a demand of the time.

He said Bangladesh's population is more than 180 million, and some put the figure at 200 million. In this densely populated country, hunger, poverty, unemployment and disorder are major obstacles to development. He said discipline must be established in every sphere to move past these problems and build a happy, prosperous and safe Bangladesh.

Stressing coordination among the relevant authorities, he said that alongside administrative bodies including the BRTA, DTCA, city corporations and BRTC, four sides must work together — transport workers, owners, police and journalists. He said order on the roads is possible with responsible workers, cooperative owners, an effective role by police, especially the traffic division, and constructive cooperation from journalists.

On Bangladesh's image abroad, Shimul Biswas said foreigners who land at the airport and see congestion and chaos on the capital's roads leave with a negative impression of the whole country. He said the remark was not against any particular person, owner, worker or party, but affects the image of the entire nation. If Dhaka becomes orderly, he said, the impact of that change will reach every corner of the country.

He said the heavy presence of tempos and rickshaws on the capital's roads is one of the causes of congestion. While these vehicles matter for the livelihoods of poor people, they waste people's valuable time. Congestion causes huge economic losses every day, which also harms the overall economy. He said restoring order to Dhaka's transport system could also contribute positively to GDP growth.

Raising Bangladesh's potential, he said the country's marine resources, mineral resources in the hills and its large working-age population are major strengths. While countries like Japan have more elderly people, Bangladesh has a much higher share of young and working-age people. He said discipline must be brought to education, employment, transport and every other field to turn this population into an asset.

Shimul Biswas said successive governments in the past took initiatives to discipline the transport sector, but they were delayed by various obstacles and by sheltering vested-interest groups. He noted, however, that the current prime minister has taken a strict position on the issue. He welcomed moves to speed up accountability and change.

He said today's initiative must not remain confined to paper or end after a photo session, and that everyone must commit to implementing the change. Drawing on his long experience in the transport sector, he also raised the need for self-criticism over the sector's irregularities, limitations and faults.

Praising transport owners and workers, he said when the transport sector runs, Bangladesh runs. The sector's contribution to keeping ports, cities and people's daily lives moving is immense. But irregularities have exposed the sector to much criticism, and he said everyone must work together to move beyond that criticism.