Aimed at stopping reckless driving and curbing road accidents, Police and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) have already started dope testing for drivers of different types of motorised vehicles across the country. However, the process of dope testing will be started in capital Dhaka from December 1.
According to sources, the initiatives of dope testing for drivers have been taken as almost half of the drivers of public vehicles are believed to be addicts. According to witnesses, the dope testing is being conducted through a machine, which is able to detect any addicted person in 4 seconds. The machines were imported from China.
In Narail, Highway police on Thursday conducted dope-testing operations at Malibagh area in the town. During the drives, police tested a number of drivers of various types of vehicles. Sub-inspector Dween Mohammad of Highway Traffic Police said, during the test, they filed 10 cases and seized a pick-up van.
In Bagerhat, police conducted dope testing operation on October 15 at Katakhali. Highway Traffic Police in Bagerhat conducted the operation. In Chattogram, police conducted dope test at Mirsorai on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway on October 13. Earlier on April 4, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam said dope testing for the drivers has been made mandatory in the capital. He made the remarks while talking to agitating students.
Khondaker Enayet Ullah, general secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association, on Wednesday at a function said, mobile courts will conduct the dope testing drives in the capital. He made the announcement at a special joint meeting of transport owners and workers at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB). The meeting came weeks after three road accidents in the capital brought the road safety issue to the fore once again.
At the meeting on Wednesday, Enayet Ullah said around 40 to 50 percent of drivers in Dhaka city, especially those of buses, are addicted to various drugs, and addiction is the first and main reason for accidents in the capital. Enayet, also the convener of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad, said that if a driver tests positive for drug abuse, he will be sent to jail directly, and his license will be revoked.
The mobile courts will test urine samples on the spot, and if the driver is found guilty, one from a pool of drivers on standby will take the wheel, he said. Enayet said, he has already talked to the secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division and the chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and promised to assist the move.
Another major cause of accidents is the trip-based operation of buses, which triggers an unhealthy competition between buses, the transport leader said. Referring to several media reports on road accidents, Enayet, said, “We have invested a huge amount of money in transport business, but we are hearing this kind of news because our sector is full of irregularities. So we have to be strict.”
Talking about irregularities, Sadiqur Rahman Hiru, senior vice president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, said, “We cannot show our face in society for this.
