Staff Reporter
Jatri Kalyan Samiti has urged the government to impose a ban on unfit vehicles across roads, railways, and waterways during Eid travel to minimize accidents, traffic congestion, and public suffering.
In a statement sent to the media on Thursday, the association’s Secretary General, Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, raised concerns over the influx of unfit vehicles during Eid, which significantly increases travel risks.
According to the statement, each year, unfit buses, trucks, human haulers (leguna), three-wheelers (tempo), microbuses, and locally assembled vehicles such as Nasimon-Karimon are deployed for long-distance travel.
Additionally, expired water vessels and outdated railway coaches, engines, and tracks heighten the risk of accidents, derailments, and passenger suffering.
Citing last year’s Eid-ul-Fitr statistics, the statement highlighted that 399 road accidents resulted in 407 deaths and 1,398 injuries.
Meanwhile, 18 railway accidents caused 24 fatalities and 21 injuries, while two waterway accidents led to seven deaths and five injuries.
To prevent similar tragedies this year, Jatri Kalyan Samiti called for extensive preventive measures and enhanced public awareness.
The statement further revealed that around 500,000 vehicles across the country currently lack fitness certificates. Additionally, 500,000 electric three-wheelers, 60,000 CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 700,000 battery-powered rickshaws, 100,000 Nasimon-Karimon vehicles, and 2 million motorcycles operate daily on national and regional highways, contributing to severe congestion and slowing down long-distance buses.
The association urged authorities to immediately remove such vehicles from highways and intensify efforts to eliminate illegal encroachments for smoother traffic flow.Security and Safety Concerns During Eid TravelAddressing security issues, Jatri Kalyan Samiti called on law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to combat crimes such as snatching, doping gangs, and pickpocketing.
