Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Rezaul Karim Chowdhury has called upon everyone to work together to make roads in Chattogram safe.
He made the call while speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable dialogue organised on the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Day 2023.
The CCC organised the event on Monday (November 27, 2023) with the support from Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and international organisation Vital Strategies.
The day is observed worldwide on the third Sunday of November every year in memory of road crash victims. Earlier on November 19, a roundtable media dialogue was held at conference room of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) where DNCC Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam spoke as the chief.
Speaking at the event in Chattogram, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, “We have to work together to prevent road crashes. To ensure the safe movement of pedestrians, sidewalks should be freed from encroachment, bus companies should be formed to stop chaos on the roads, and faulty vehicles should be banned. However, the work cannot be done by the city corporation or the police alone. So, coordinated effort is a must to achieve the goal.”
Commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Krishna Pada Roy attended the event as special guest at the event.
The CMP Commissioner said that the policemen are working relentlessly at the field level to maintain order on the roads in the port city. So, it is important to consult with the police before constructing the infrastructure to smoothen the roads. As a result, it will be possible to avoid possible complications in road use, he added.
CCC Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Muhammed Tauhidul Islam presided over the event, while CMP Deputy Commissioner Joynul Abedin, Deputy Director of Chattogram Medical College Hospital Dr. Ong Swee Pru Marma, Technical Adviser (Road Safety, Bangladesh) of Vital Strategies Aminul Islam Sujon, Assistant Director of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Touhidul Islam, Central Secretary General of Nirapad Sarak Chai Liton Arshad, and Chattogram Bureau Chief of Channel I Chowdhury Farid participated in the discussion, among others.
Family members of three policemen who died in a road crash in Chattogram also participated in the event.
CCC Superintendent Engineer Shaheen-ul-Islam Chowdhury delivered welcome remark at the beginning of the programme. Surveillance Coordinator of BIGRS Chattogram Kazi Shifun Newaz highlighted the importance of the day. The event was moderated by coordinator of BIGRS Chattogram Labib Tazone.
