Experts have questioned the government’s decision to include people involved with transport organizations in a high-level panel to bring order to roads and the transport sector.
Former shipping minister and transport workers’ leader Shajahan Khan, whose remarks and actions on road safety sparked widespread criticism in the past, will be leading a 15-member committee to recommend on preventing road crashes and bringing discipline in the runaway transport sector.
An opposition MP criticised the government for the move during Monday’s session while a member of the new committee also expressed his doubts.
Several panels have been formed over the issue, which had made recommendations, experts said before adding that the job now was to implement those rather than forming a new committee, that too with people from the transport sector who are often blamed for the indiscipline.
A ruling MP and Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation Executive President, Shajahan has Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association President Mashiur Rahman Ranga in the committee as a member.
The body Shajahan leads is the umbrella for over 200 transport unions across the country, representing more than 6 million workers.
Four other members of the panel are also involved in the transport sector — Workers’ Federation General Secretary Osman Ali, Owners’ Association General Secretary Khandaker Enayet Ullah and two representatives from the bodies of truck owners and workers.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader announced the formation of the new committee on Sunday after the 26th meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the top body comprising representatives of government, transport sector, civil society and experts.
The committee also includes prominent road safety campaigner and former movie star Ilias Kanchan and writer and researcher Syed Abdul Maksud.
Representatives from BRTA, Roads and Highways Department, Accident Research Institute (ARI) at Buet, BRAC, Highway Police and Dhaka Metropolitan Police are also on the panel.
A transport workers’ organization leader described heading Shajahan the panel as “appointing the cat to guard the fish market.”
“People who are blamed for the very indiscipline in the transport sector has been tasked to put an end to it,” said Md Hanif Khokon, joint secretary of the ruling Awami League-backed Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ League.
“The 233 unions led by Shajahan Khan are involved in extortion in transport sector. He also owns transport businesses. How will he bring discipline in the transport sector?” he told Bangla Tribune.
Even a member of the new committee has his doubts.
“Such panels have been formed in the past, made recommendations which were not implemented,” former film star Ilias Kanchan, who runs road safety campaign ‘Nirapad Sharak Chai’, told Bangla Tribune.
According to him, Shajahan Khan himself admitted that road accidents are on the rise.
“Shajahan Khan said during [Sunday’s] meeting ‘The population is rising and more vehicles are on the street, so it’s only natural that accidents will increase’… How can he say something like this? I have no idea what can a committee led by him will achieve,” said Kanchan.
Rights activist Mozammel Haque Chowdhury echoed.
“Keeping people who are blamed for the indiscipline in the committee is nothing but a joke,” he told Bangla Tribune.
Chowdhury, the secretary general to rights body ‘Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti’, said that the new panel has no representation from the passengers. “The government has failed to protect passengers’ interest repeatedly as the owners and workers have held them hostage.”
In 2011, a sub-committee led by Dhaka University Professor Anwar Hossain of Dhaka University was formed on road safety, which came up with a set of recommendations.
In 2016, the then-Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Nazrul Islam was appointed to a head a 15-member committee to implement the recommendations by the sub-committee.
However, none of the recommendations, including banning three-wheelers on the 22 national highways, have been implemented.
Professor Anwar Hossain said that there would be no need for a new committee if their recommendations had been implemented.
“We worked extensively to chalk out short, mid and long-term recommendations … It was a complete report and I fail to understand why a new panel has been formed. What’s needed is to implement the recommendations already with the government,” he said.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune, road transport expert Shamsul Haque expressed scepticism over the Shajahan-led panel.
“I have my doubts over the new committee’s outcome. The Anwar Hossain-led panel had identified the problems and made extensive recommendations. What now needs to be done is to implement those. It’s clear that a wrong move has been made [by forming another panel],” he told Bangla Tribune on Monday.
According to the former director of the Accident Research Institute at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the new panel cannot be described as unbiased.
“Forming a new committee is clearly in an attempt to delay the matter as there are recommendations [to bring order to roads and the transport sector]. Besides that, the government has taken suggestions from several consultancy firms. It’s now time to take actions,” he said before adding the government was taking a risk by starting over.
A member of the new committee, however, said they would come with “specific recommendations”.
“The committee will analyse the recommendations made by the previous panels for its report,” transport owners’ leader Khandaker Enayet Ullah told Bangla Tribune.
According to him, a figure like Shajahan Khan leading the body “will not be an issue as apart from owners and workers the committee has also representation from the passengers.”
Neither Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader nor BRTA Chairman Mashiur Rahman was available for a comment.
Qauder, however, told the parliament on Monday that Shajahan was made the chief of the panel being an experienced person in the sector when opposition Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam questioned the move.
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