DMP proposes spl bus route from Gazipur

The government has decided not to introduce any new bus route in the capital but wants to launch a special one from Gazipur under police arrangements.

The special route, proposed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), will start from Gazipur and extend to various areas, including Kuril, Pragati Sarani, and Mohakhali, after crossing Dhaka airport.

"We do not want any new route," said Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan.

He told The Financial Express the special assistant to the home adviser and the additional police commissioner (traffic) had already been given directives in this regard.

But a special route under police arrangements would be launched to bring discipline in the city's transport system, which was never achieved, and put an end to the practice of leasing buses by private operators, he said.

Mr Khan recently shared his views at his office at the Rail Bhaban when his attention was drawn to resuming initiatives to approve new bus routes.

A special committee has already approved 24 routes. But these are overlaps of the existing unplanned routes and the 380 that have no permits but cover Savar, Gazipur, Gulistan, and Narayanganj.

Also, a route has been designed through 300 Feet in Purbachal, where no buses, except for Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation's (BRTC) articulated ones, have so far been allowed for technical reasons.

When asked about resuming initiatives for bus route approvals, Mr Khan said he had already directed the special assistant to the home adviser not to approve any new one. Otherwise, there would be a big traffic mess.

Expressing his helplessness about ensuring discipline in the transport sector, he also said with the new initiative, private bus operators would be brought under the system gradually.

He said bus stops, appointments of drivers, and modernisation of the entire route would be given importance.

The 29-member committee, formed with the DMP commissioner as the chairman and comprising leaders of bus and truck owners and workers, approved the routes at a meeting recently.

Though an initiative was underway to rationalise over 386 routes into 42 by withdrawing overlapping and introduce a bus route franchise system, transport owners ignored it.

The DMP, which has the mandate to manage traffic, has also prepared routes by ignoring the proposed 42 ones.

smunima@yahoo.com