Amidst driver crisis, govt launches initiative to upgrade valid licences

Send
Shahed Shafiq
Published : 07:45, Aug 20, 2018 | Updated : 07:45, Aug 20, 2018

Amidst driver crisis, govt launches initiative to upgrade valid licencesDrivers with permits for light and mid weight vehicles are being given the permission to drive heavy vehicles.
This initiative has been taken to counter the driver crisis of the country and a notice in this regard will be issued soon, confirmed the transport and bridges department.
But specialists believe that such a move may not provide a long term solution for the existing crisis in the transport sector.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, BRTA, gives three kinds of licences based on the weight of the vehicles: light, middleweight and heavy and, according to law, holders of light and mid-weight vehicle licences will not be able to drive cars in the other categories though the ones holding heavyweight vehicles can drive all sorts of cars.
Such measures can be applied during emergency, commented urban planner, Mobassher Hossain.
“This is not a permanent solution; government must train and make skilled drivers,” he added.
If drivers with middle weight vehicles are given licences, then this will trigger anarchy, said Dr. Moazzem Hossain, director of Accident Research Institute and professor of civil engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, BUET.
After the recent students’ movement demanding safe roads, a purging operation has begun in transport and, drivers are not permitted to take out a vehicle without proper documents.
Consequently, drivers with illegal/improper papers are no longer on the road, resulting in a crisis of licenced drivers.
To tackle the situation, ministry will give permission to select drivers of light vehicles with one year experience the permission to drive mid-weight vehicles and, mid weight vehicle drivers will be given the permit to drive heavy ones.
Applications from drivers will be called and given permission till 31 December.
According to BRTA accounts, there are 35 lakh 82 thousand 460 registered vehicles in the country with almost 15 lakh without registration.
In the capital, there are 11 lakh 60 thousand 83 registered cars but there aren’t enough drivers. According to BRTA, approved professional drivers are 8 lakh 30 thousand 90 and non-professional, 10 lakh 39 thousand 726.
Around 20 lakh are driving with false papers.
Specialists say, the need is for 1.5 times more drivers than the number of running vehicles because for long route buses, two drivers are needed.
BRTA gives three types of licences: light vehicles which are below 2500 kg with the driver’s age minimum 20, mid-weight vehicles between 2500 and 6500 kg and the age of the driver minimum 23 with three years’ experience and, heavy vehicles which are more than 6500 kg and the drivers age limit of 26 with at least three years’ experience of driving middle weight vehicles.
Secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association, Khondokar Enayetullah told Bangla Tribune: “we do not want to drive our vehicles with unskilled drivers; if the government establishes an institute, then we will train drivers at our own cost.”
Joint secretary of roads, transport and bridges ministry, Dr. Md. Kamrul Hassan, told Bangla Tribune: “we have asked the owners’ association to look for land and, once that is found, we can move with the next process.”
Drivers have also welcomed the government move, saying that they also want valid licences through a proper, expeditious process.
A driver says: “it takes three to four months to renew a licence; if we are idle for such a long time, then we won’t survive, that’s why drivers use brokers to get false permits.”

/tf/
Top