The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) wants road construction work to be put on hold for two weeks to facilitate the Eid journeys of the homebound people.
FBCCI Senior Vice-President Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu made the request on Sunday for putting the ongoing construction and repair of roads on hold for a total of 14 days before and after Eid to alleviate the suffering of home goers.
He made the call at the first meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (Railways, Roads and Highways) held at FBCCI.
Mostafa Azad said the speed of vehicles slows down due to repair and construction work on roads and highways resulting in huge traffic jams.
He urged the government to put a hold on the construction work from April 27 to May 10 to make the Eid journeys smoother.
He also called for the deployment of highway police at heavy traffic zones.
“The higher authorities of the Bangladesh Police should take strict action to stop extortion on the roads,” he said.
Mostafa said that FBCCI will send a letter to the Minister of Home Affairs and inspector general of police requesting to stop extortion.
The senior vice-president also called for increasing the number of ferries and ferry trips to shorten the long queues of the buses and trucks at Mawa and Aricha ghats.
Earlier, raising the issue of the financial loss due to traffic congestion FBCCI Vice-President and Director-in-Charge of the committee Md Aminul Haque Shamim informed that the heavy jam at Tongi costs financial loss worth Tk 10 crore daily.
Despite being the most affected sector, the public transport sector, which remained shut down for 18 months, received no government assistance, he mentioned.
In addition, the owners have to pay regular bank installment to avoid being defaulted even if they have no income.
In this situation, he urged the government not to impose any further tax or duty on tyres, tubes and other parts in the next budget.
President of the Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association and Chairman of the committee Ramesh Chandra Ghosh said that law enforcement members illegally collect money every night at Joykali Mandir and Ittefaq intersection in the capital.
He sought help from police authorities to end this situation.
Identifying the public transport sector as the most affected sector during the Covid period, Ramesh called for policy protection for the next three years.
In their speeches, other members of the committee said that the longevity of vehicles is being declined due to the potholes and broken roads.
To reduce traffic congestion and bring discipline to the roads, integrated transport management system and decentralisation of services and proper implementation of BRTA were stressed at the meeting.
They demanded to stop bribery and extortion in the name of fitness certificates.
FBCCI Director Bijoy Kumar Kejriwal, former director Abdul Haque, Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque, Standing Committee Co-chairmen Eng Md Jahangir Alam, M Humayun Kabir, Faruk Talukder Sohel, Engr Golam Kabir, G Rahman Shohid, Bazlur Rahman Ratan and other members of the committee were present in the meeting.
