public transport
Writ seeking instruction on half fare on public transport for students
A writ petition has been filed before the High Court seeking its directions to allow students to travel by half-fare on bus, train and launch across the country.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ petition citing public interest on Wednesday.
Read: Demo for half fare: Protesters attacked, one ‘picked up’
In the petition, Yunus said that the income of the students' guardians has decreased due to Covid pandemic. The ongoing movement of students demanding half-fare travel is logical as the parents are struggling to pay education fees.
The writ said the government’s inaction half fare issue is a violation of fundamental rights of the student as per the Constitution. Instead of ensuring education, the government is violating the constitution by forcing students to protest on the streets.
Read: Demo for half bus fare: Students give 48-hour ultimatum
The secretaries of the home ministry, shipping ministry, railways ministry and ministry of road transport and bridges and the Inspector General of Police have been named as defendants in the petition.
Earlier on November 22, the lawyer had given a legal notice to the authorities concerned. Writ was filed after failing to get any reply to the notice.
The HC may hold hearing on this petition on Sunday, the petitioner said.
Metro Rail: The Magic Wand to Improve Dhaka's Transport System
Metro rail will be added to Dhaka's public transport later this year. This project will actively work on changing the transport system of Dhaka city. How will the metro rail be? What are the benefits? How safe will it be? There is no shortage of interest and questions of the people about the dream project! Metro rail will bring a lot of benefits for city dwellers. For example, with the Metrorail, it will take about 38 minutes to reach Motijheel from Uttara.
Dhaka Metro Rail: The Prospective Benefits and Advantages
We have listed the benefits we will enjoy from the metro rail in the next few years. Read on to know them.
Get rid of traffic
'Traffic jam' and 'Dhaka' have become synonymous. The reality of traffic congestion in the capital has reached such a level that you will know the journey time for sure, but you will not know not the arrival time. It is difficult to calculate how many measures have been taken to bring traffic congestion to a tolerable level, including widening of flyovers, lanes, and roads. But there is no relief from traffic jams and misery. The situation is deteriorating day by day. When the people of Dhaka city are in a state of frustration in this deterioration, metro rail seems to come as a remedy for Dhaka's traffic.
Read Bangladesh Braces to Finish Dhaka Metro Rail Project
If Metrorail is launched, it will save transportation time and reduce traffic jams at the same time. The metro rail will run at 100 mph and will reach Motijheel from Uttara in 38 minutes. The train will leave every four minutes. 60,000 passengers per hour will be able to travel from both directions.
Therefore, people's valuable time will be saved and traffic jams will be less as the citizens will sue the rail service. So, the pressure on the road will be reduced.
Job opportunities
Metrorail operation and maintenance costs are comparatively much higher. Therefore, the authorities want to make way for income by constructing hub stations as an additional benefit to reduce losses. Metrorail has bought 26 acres of land for the construction of the hub station. Metro rail authorities want to have a total of six hub stations, one at the beginning of six lines under Mass Rapid Transit.
Read One step closer to completing historic Metro Rail project in Bangladesh: Japan
Authorities are planning to set up a hub across the capital around the metro rail. To make the project profitable, a metro hub station will be constructed for the passengers with state-of-the-art facilities like amusement parks, daily commodity markets, and shopping malls.
Initially, an initiative has been taken to build this hub station near Station-2 in Uttara. So, building the hub station will create new job opportunities. Further, manpower will also be needed for maintenance, so it will create new jobs too.
Read Metro Rail Job Opening 2021: The time for submission of application in Metrorail has been extended
The population will be reduced from Dhaka city
If Metro Rail is launched, it will be a big advantage for the general people. They don't have to rent a house in Dhaka city and pay a huge amount of rent. Instead, people can live outside of the main city and travel easily to their workplaces. That way, you don't have to rent with that much money in Moghbazar, Motijheel. If you want, you can rent a house in Gazipur for less money and come to Motijheel comfortably. Hence this will be life-changing.
Financial benefit
Metro rail will save 200 billion takas or $2.4 billion a year, which is equivalent to 17% of the total tax revenue of Bangladesh or 1.5% of GDP. Due to the traffic jam, the country faces colossal economic loss, and Dhaka is on the top in terms of loss. Annually, Dhaka city faces a loss of $4.4 billion due to traffic congestion. So, the launch of the metro rail will save that money. According to the Accident Research Institute director, "Bangladesh could have saved $2.6 billion if it had reduced 60% of traffic congestion in Dhaka."
Read Padma Bridge, Metro Rail opening to public within June 2022: Quader
Reduction on pollution
At present, air pollution has become severe in Dhaka and other major cities. Dust, black smoke, etc., released from unfit vehicles, are widely responsible for air pollution in Dhaka. Expired cars mainly emit a significant amount of black smoke that has been identified as one of the prime causes of air pollution.
Metro rail will surely reduce the number of public vehicles on the road. Therefore, the potential air pollution will be reduced. A well-planned metro rail with the improved bus service may force to reduce the number of private cars on the road. So, if the private cars and public transport are reduced the overall pollution in Dhaka city will be reduced significantly.
Everything in the stations
Each station will have Ticket counters, lounges, automated food stalls, prayer places, waste management plants, operation and maintenance rooms, automatic monitoring system in case of non-ticket or extra tickets, firefighting system, climbing stairs, escalators (stationary escalator), lifts, and more. So, there would be immense possibilities of creating employment opportunities and sources of income for many people.
Read ‘Mockup’ Metro Rail coach arrives in city
A brief of the metro rail project
Dhaka’s first-ever metro rail is MRT-6, which will start from Uttara and finished at Kamalapur via Mirpur, Farmgate, and Motijheel. Metrorail project's 11.29 km length area, spanning from Uttara to Agargaon was supposed to be done by December 2021. Metro railroad from Agargaon to Kamalapur, covering 11km length, was targeted to be completed by 2023. Work is underway to bring it forward.
Apart from this, Dhaka metro rail has five more projects, which will be developed gradually.
Each of the compartments of the train has seating for 54 people. During peak hours, a total of 2,308 people can sit and stand on a train. Furthermore, one thousand 736 people will be able to travel in normal time. Each train will have a special compartment for women. There will also be a wheelchair for the disabled next to the door of each compartment.
Read Special police unit to ensure metro rail security: PM
Final words
Metro rail is no less than a dream for Dhaka city which is burdened with multifarious problems in the road communication sector like narrow roads, traffic jams, lack of enough public transport, high cost of private vehicles, etc. And the dream comes true as the Dhaka Metro Rail project is about to finish and be visible. Moreover, the experimental operation of metro rail has been started. So, we are very close to witnessing a milestone for Bangladesh.
Public transport services resume in Barishal
After nearly six hours, bus and launch services in Barishal resumed on Thursday noon following the intervention of the local administration.
The bus services in Barishal and other parts of the country had remained suspended since morning as transport workers blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway in protest against Wednesday's clash that left over 30 injured.
Meanwhile, police arrested as many as 13 activists of the ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) from different parts of the city in connection with the attack on the residence of the Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO).
Read:Barishal: Bus services suspended as clash leaves 30 injured
Joint general secretary of Barishal Metropolitan unit of the Awami League, Hasan Mahmud Babu, and vice-president of the city unit of BCL Oliullah Oli were among the arrestees, said officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, Nurul Islam.
The clash broke out between the supporters of the Awami League, BCL and members of Ansar when the former tried to attack the residence of the UNO at Sadar Upazila Complex in Barishal on Wednesday night.
Of the injured, five people suffered bullet wounds during the clash.
The transport workers, including the supporters of Barishal City Corporation Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, activists of Chhatra League and Jubo League, blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway by placing buses in Rupatoli and Nathullabad Bus Terminal areas in the small hours of Wednesday.
Besides, launch services in Barishal also remained suspended as the supporters of the mayor did not allow any passenger vessel to leave the terminal, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
According to eye-witnesses, the Nagar Bhaban staffers went to the residence of Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Munibur Rahman to lower a banner hanging over the area.
Read: Barishal City Corporation dismisses 12 officials over corruption
At one stage, the UNO came out and asked the reason, leading to an altercation between him and Swapan Kumar Das, a staffer of the city corporation.
During the altercation, some 25-30 people entered the complex and a scuffle broke out between the Ansar members and the so-called mob over the issue, triggering a clash. At one stage, the Ansar members opened fire on them, leaving five injured.
On information, police rushed to the spot and charged batons to disperse them.
Some 25 people were injured in the clash with the cops.
Shahabuddin Khan, police commissioner of Barishal, said, "A police team rushed to the spot and the attackers threw brick chips targeting the cops, forcing them to retaliate. Three policemen and two Ansar members were injured during the incident.”
They also vandalised a bus in the area in the night.
Read:Student protest causes traffic disruption in Barishal
Three people who sustained bullet injuries—Shahrier Babu, Harun-or-Rashid and Tanvir-- were taken to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital. Of them, Tanvir was shifted to Dhaka for better treatment.
UNO Munibur Rahman said, “Some 15-20 people identifying themselves as Chattra League members entered the house. Later, some 60-70 people also entered the complex and went up to the first floor of the upazila complex building. They also tried to attack me but the Ansar members saved me."
Barishal City Corporation Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah told the media, "The city corporation staffers went there to perform their duties but the Ansar members attacked them.” He has demanded a probe into the clash.
Lockdown or no lockdown, life is the same in Dhaka
Amid growing calls for stronger measures to stop the spread of Delta variant, the government has imposed a nationwide lockdown and extended it several times. But the question is whether there is any lockdown in capital Dhaka as everything looks normal?
“This lockdown seems to be pointless when people are allowed to move as they wish. What we really need are clear rules about the lockdown and its genuine enforcement,” said a retired engineer wishing anonymity.
Read:Lockdown breaches: 342 arrested in Dhaka on day 16
The movement of people and vehicles increased significantly on the 15th day of lockdown on Sunday as many people are coming out of their houses for various reasons.
Some people are going outside for vaccination as mass vaccination programme began in the country on Saturday while many more for other reasons as export-oriented factories were opened on August 1.
It is only the shopping malls and eateries that remained closed and public transport stayed off roads as per lockdown rules.
During visits to different areas of the city, the UNB correspondent saw roads were filled with private vehicles and rickshaws as usual.
In some cases, traffic police were seen handling the pressure of vehicles on roads. Besides, the pressure of vehicles was largely seen in Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Satrasta, Uttara, New Market, Mirpur, Asad Gate, Banani, Gabtoli and Technical points. The searching and checking of people and vehicles at different points of the capital also continued, though loosely.
Read:Bustling Dhaka finally feels ‘lockdown silence’
Traffic Inspector Asaduzzaman (Mohakhali), said, “The number of vehicles is higher than the previous days and we’re handling traffic manually at Mohakhali and Amtola point.”
Bangladesh extends lockdown again as Delta variant plays havoc
The government has extended the current lockdown till August 10 amid a surge in the Delta variant of Covid-19 across the country.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque disclosed the decision of the government while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
Read: Lockdown in Dhaka: Surging infections, soaring chaos
He said shops, factories and offices will be reopened from August 11 while public transport will be allowed to ply roads by rotation on a limited scale once the lockdown is over.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam were present at the virtual meeting along with other ministers and state ministers.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said: “Today’s decision is a provisional one as we’ll take another decision considering the situation.”
The government is set to launch a mass vaccination drive at the village level from 14,000 vaccine centres from August 7 as one crore people will be vaccinated in the next one week, he said.
The minister said the vaccine campaign will be launched simultaneously with a focus on senior people as they face a greater risk of fatalities.
He urged workers and helpers of bus drivers to get their Covid jabs as no one will be allowed to join work without vaccinations. “Once vaccinated, the certificates will be available on the website,” he said.
Regarding cross-checking, he said it will be possible to check whether one took the jab or not, and it can be scrutinised on 7-9 August.
Read:Lockdown: Thousands returning to Dhaka as factories going to reopen Sunday
Factories reopen amid Covid surge as ‘economy falters’
Export-oriented industries resumed operation on Sunday, the 10th day of the ongoing stringent lockdown, amid warnings against Covid surge as workers started returning to their workplaces without maintaining health protocols.
The workers in their thousands have been on their way back to their workplaces in Narayanganj, Gazipur and Mymensingh in Dhaka division since Friday after the government’s announcement of reopening factories.
Read:Vessels to move till 12 pm Sunday to carry factory workers
The workers took their arduous journeys to get back to their workplaces as public transport remained suspended due to the lockdown.
They walked miles for miles or moved on in hired auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, goods-laden vehicles in their desperate bid to join work.
Later, the government on Saturday night allowed public transport to operate until 12 pm on Sunday to facilitate the return of workers.
Buses started plying roads from early Sunday and people were seen entering the capital through Gabtoli, Abdullahpur, Mohakhali, Sayedabad, Postagola and Babubazar point by bus or on foot.
The Covid-19 crisis has hit the country’s economy hard and jeopardized its impressive achievements in poverty reduction, according to economists.
Lockdown: Temporary exemption in effect for road, water transport till Sunday noon
The government has allowed the movement of all public transport services till Sunday 12pm to help the export-oriented factory workers and officials to return to their workplaces.
Bus, launch and train services will be operational in all routes across the country during this time.
The development was confirmed by the Press Information Department Saturday amid a strict lockdown which will continue till August 5.
Read: No decision yet on lockdown extension: Farhad
Also, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) "allowed all water transport to operate from Saturday evening to Sunday 12pm to transport factory workers."
The decisions came a day after the government allowed export-oriented factories to restart production from tomorrow amid the ongoing lockdown.
Read: Covid kills 218 more in Bangladesh as its catastrophe continues
Despite the suspension of public transports, thousands of people started returning to Dhaka through alternative means on the ninth day of the lockdown Saturday.
A record surge in the number of Covid cases and fatalities in recent days prompted the government to enforce a nationwide stringent lockdown, suspending all outdoor activities unless there is an emergency.
Inter-district public transport services finally back; passengers happy
Passengers in Bangladesh heaved a sigh of relief as inter-district bus, train and launch services resumed at half of capacity on Monday, 59 days after the suspension amid the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
The resumption of public transport services has also brought smiles to the faces of transport workers and their owners as they remained idle for about two months with many of them losing jobs during the period.
Train services
Twenty-eight pairs of intercity trains resumed their services at half of the capacity, maintaining health guidelines after around two months, said Bangladesh Railway officials.
The train services in the country were suspended on April 5 as part of the government restrictions on people’s movement to stem the coronavirus transmission.
Read: Train services to resume at half capacity from Monday
The authorities concerned have been asked to keep half of the train seats vacant for ensuring social distance, said a handout issued by the Railways Ministry on Sunday.
100 buses seized in Cumilla for violating govt rules
At least 100 buses have been seized for operating services flouting the government’s directives in Cumilla district in the last two days till Sunday night.
Additional superintendent of Cumilla Highway Police Mollah Mohammad Shahin, said as per the government directives they have set up a number of check-posts on Dhaka-Chattogram highway’s Alekharchar, Miarbazar and others important points to prevent movement of inter-district buses.
Also Read:Bus services resume in Bangladesh cities
During the regular check, the highway police found at least one hundred buses are carrying passengers from one district to another district ignoring the government’s directives to prevent transmission of coronavirus.
All the buses have been kept at the respective police stations and police camp and cases have been filed in this connection.
Public transport services were suspended in Bangladesh on April 5 with the government announcing a countrywide restriction to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Also Read: Police seize four buses for violating lockdown norms in Jashore
On April 30, the transport owners’ association urged the government to immediately resume bus services in the country. The association also demanded food assistance for the unemployed transport workers.
On May 3, the government decided to allow the intra-district public transport services with effect from May 6 after extending the ongoing restriction till May 16
20- km tailback on Dhaka-Aricha highway
A 20-km tailback has been created on Dhaka-Aricha highway due to the mad rush of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr defying the restriction on movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Visiting the highway, the UNB correspondent found that a long queue of vehicles on the road, stretching from Savar Bus Stand to Gabtoli Bridge area.
Also Read: Ferry services suspended to contain spread of Covid
People including women and children are set to go to their village home to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones ignoring heath safety protocols.
In absence of public transport, people hired microbus, pick-up vans, and private vehicles to leave Dhaka.
Besides, many people were seen travelling on goods-laden trucks.
Read 5-km long tailback on Dhaka-Chattogram highway
A traffic police wishing not to be named said the tailback has created due to heavy pressure of private vehicles alongside the public transport.
Some long-route passengers said they boarded local bus from Savar and their destination was Amin Bazar. Later, they crossed the bridge on foot and boarded another bus from Gabtoli to reach their respective destinations.
Anwar Hossain, a resident of Gabtoli, said “I along with six of my family members started journey around 6 am. Now it’s 11:30 am. We are still at Amin Bazar point.”
Also Read: BGB deployed on Paturia-Daulatdia, Shimulia-Banglabazar routes
Arnab Shaha, a student of Jahangirnagar University, said “I boarded a Savar-bound bus around 10 am. Now it’s 12:45 pm. The bus is stuck at Baliarpur for the last two hours. I have no idea whether I can go home before Iftar.”
However, people are so reluctant in maintaining health guidelines and social distance though the government has allowed intra-city transport services on condition of maintaining health guidelines.
Read Dhaka-Khulna highway turns death trap