Roads be safe, theme for Oct 22

The government decided to mark the day to promote road safety responding to a nine-year-old demand by Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa), a pro-road safety group, spearheaded by actor Ilias Kanchan who lost his wife in a road accident on this day of 1993.

"The government will propose to the United Nations (UN) to declare October 22 the International Road Safety Day," Communications Minister Nazmul Huda told The Daily Star yesterday. The UN is scheduled to sit on April 7, 2004 to discuss road safety.

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Drivers, transport owners, shopkeepers, office-goers and school and college teachers and students will pause for five minutes in silence on Wednesday to express solidarity with the movement.

A discussion to increase awareness about road safety will also be held as part of the programme, announced by the organisation at a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday.

Nischa will lead a procession to be brought out at 10:00am from its head office at Kakrail to the Central Shaheed Minar.

Nischa Chairman Ilias Kanchan, Secretary General Golam Kibria, Organising Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and Advisor Shahidul Haq Khan were present at the press conference.