Students show ‘Red Card’ demanding safe roads

Students of different educational institutions as part of their series of demonstrations demanding safe roads at Rampura Bridge in Dhaka on Saturday showed the drivers of motor vehicles red cards as a warning for obeying traffic rules.

Students of Maple Leaf International School, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), Khilgaon Model College, Ideal School and College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Dhaka College and several other institutions took part in the movement.

Because of the rise of fuel prices and bus fares all over the country since November 8, students started their movement demanding half-the-fare rides on transports. The movement took a turn as Naeem Hasan, a student of Notre Dame College, was killed by a garbage truck of Dhaka South City Corporation on November 24 and a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) candidate of Ekramunnesa Boys High School, Mainuddin Islam was killed by a bus of Anabil Paribahan in Rampura on November 29.

The students are continuing demonstrations with an 11-point charter of demands including safer roads and half-the-fare rides for students on all transports across the country through a gazette notification.

The other demands include road safety, ensuring punishment for the reckless drivers, adequate compensations for all the students who have been killed in road accidents, safety for girls on transports, overhaul and renovation of unfit vehicles, construction parking space, proper implementation of the laws, training for the drivers, creating technology-based traffic system, ensuring accountability of the Road Transport Authority through proper monitoring.

The leader of the movement, Shohagi Saima, an HSC examinee from Khilgaon Model College, told The Business Post that they will not stop the protest until the demands are met and she will continue to participate in the movement alongside taking her HSC examinations.

“We are showing ‘red cards’ to the people, vehicles defying traffic rules and we are playing the role of a referee against all the irregularities and corruption happening right now,’’ Shohagi added.

After the human chain on Rampura Bridge from 11:00am to 12:00pm, Inzamul Haque, the new coordinator of the student movement, said that they would go out on a demonstration at Shahbag around Sunday noon.