Unfit vehicles reign over Ctg roads
Increase risk of accidents and cause frequent gridlocks
Worn-out trucks ply the roads in the port city of Chittagong posing risk of accidents and causing gridlock as well as air pollution. Drives against the vehicles plying the roads without legal documents and paying government fees are going on with the help of traffic department of police. Photo: ANURUP KANTI DAS
Over 19,500 unfit vehicles have been plying the roads in the city and district increasing the risk of accidents and causing frequent gridlocks. Apart from the fitness certificate, the unfit vehicles also dodge the fees for route permit and road taxes depriving the government of revenue every year. A total of 58,221 fitness certificates have been renewed against 81,627 heavy and light registered vehicles including bus, truck, pick-up, microbus, private car, tempo and motorbike last fiscal year (2009-2010), sources in Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Chittagong said. BRTA earned Tk 78 .33 crore for renewal of the fitness certificate, route permit and road taxes last fiscal year while over 19,500 other vehicles deprived the government of around over one-fourth of the revenue, the sources added. The government has been deprived of Tk 3.15 crore last fiscal year due to non-payment of fees for fitness certificates by the vehicles while the outstanding taxes stand at around Tk 22 crore, they added. Meanwhile, revenue has dropped to around Tk 2.82 crore last fiscal year as the government has earned around Tk 81.15 crore from 60,525 heavy and light vehicles in 2008-2009 while it was around Tk 61.14 crore from 42,236 vehicles in 2007-2008. A heavy vehicle is to pay Tk 945 while a light vehicle Tk 645 for renewing fitness certificates and for failure, a heavy vehicle is to pay Tk 300 as fine and a light vehicle Tk 150 for each month. Road taxes for different types of vehicles range from Tk 5,545 to Tk 9,045, they added. BRTA Motor Vehicle Inspector Mohammad Shamsul Kabir said most of the age-old vehicles and those which dodge fitness and road taxes run in the remote areas of the district to avoid punishment. Kabir said they issue letters extending time to the vehicle owners if they fail to renew the fitness certificates and pay taxes timely. He said cooperation from the upazila administration and district police is needed to seize the unfit vehicles in the remote areas. BRTA, Chittagong Assistant Director Masud Alam admitting the contribution of unfit vehicles to the frequent road accidents and traffic congestions, said they have sent a letter to head office in Dhaka seeking direction for action against the 20-year-old buses and minibuses and 25-year-old trucks in April this year. He said they are yet to get any response from the higher authorities in this regard. Masud said drives against the vehicles plying the roads without legal documents and paying government fees are going on with the help of traffic department of police. He said they seize the faulty vehicles and file cases against them as well as fine them.
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