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The conflict between two offices under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges over the authority of the metro rail company has not ended yet.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has blamed Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) for bypassing it while making decisions and taking approvals.
This, DTCA says, is a violation of the Metro Rail Act 2015.
However, DMTCL sources say as DTCA does not provide expert support for decisions on, and approvals for, major issues, the DMTCL management accepts those coming from the company's board or the ministry concerned.
DTCA recently sent a letter to DMTCL, directing it to inform the former of all metro rail-related activities in line with the metro rail act.
Citing the example of the power and energy ministry, the August 11 letter signed by DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhter also directed DMTCL to change its letterhead by including the information that it is a company under DTCA.
The letter also said 13 independent companies operating under Petrobangla mention themselves as entities under Petrobangla in their letterheads, signboards, banners, etc.
After a cabinet approval in 2013, the road transport ministry formed DMTCL, a 100 per cent state-owned company, under DTCA to plan, construct, operate, and maintain mass rapid transit (MRT) lines in the capital.
On the other hand, Dhaka Transport Coordination Board was renamed Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority in line with an act in 2012.
DTCA mainly plans the transport system of greater Dhaka city as per the strategic transport plan (STP).
Since the beginning, it has performed at reduced capacity due to lack of manpower, as well as skilled and technical professionals.
DMTCL, since its formation, has bypassed DTCA due to bureaucratic conflicts.
The first DMTCL managing director was a former secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD).
He would not cooperate with DTCA as the latter's head was an additional secretary and worked under him when he was the RTHD secretary.
After the removal of the managing director in September 2024, the new management, under the leadership of an expatriate engineer, also allegedly followed the same path due to DTCA's lack of capacity.
DMTCL sources say as the DTCA executive director is on the DMTCL board, DTCA is automatically informed when DMTCL makes decisions.
DTCA officials argue that DMTCL is supposed to take a licence from them before any MRT project is taken. Besides, it has to take approval from DTCA for many technical matters involving infrastructural facilities, rolling stock, operation, maintenance, and safety management.
"DMTCL ignores all these," said a DTCA official preferring not to be named.
DMTCL must inform DTCA as the latter is a regulatory authority, added the official.
In recent months, DMTCL opened several bids, including on introducing a credit card- and debit card-based metro rail ticketing system, without informing DTCA.
It is working on MRT 1, MRT 5 North, and MRT 5 South lines but has not applied for any licence, despite repeated letters sent earlier by DTCA.
According to the Metro Rail Act 2015, DTCA has various supervisory roles in metro rail activities.
However, it cannot play the roles properly due to non-cooperation from DMTCL, according to sources.
smunima@yahoo.com