Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader

Roads, highways become death traps: GM Quader

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Monday bemoaned the roads and highways in the country becoming death traps, as more and more lives are lost day by day in road accidents. “Life is no longer safe for someone out on the roads. Many lives are lost in accidents every day. It seems that no one is responsible for ensuring road safety,” he said. In a statement, the Jatiya Party Chief also voiced wonder that the daily loss of lives on roads has apparently become normalised. Read: Movement to continue until AL govt’s fall: Fakhrul “Even today (Monday), at least 10 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a head-on collision between two buses in Rangpur's Taraganj,” he said. Referring to statistics from the Road Safety Foundation, he said 519 people died in 458 road accidents in Bangladesh in August. Quader noted 172 of the deaths were in motorcycle accidents, that covered an incredible 40 percent of the total accidents – far out of proportion with the number of motorcycles in relation to all other types of vehicles. He said though such statistics have caused concern among the guardians, the authorities seem unconcerned about addressing the problem. Read: Get ready for final push against AL govt: Fakhrul to BNP activists GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said the number of accidents are growing due to mismanagement and corruption. "Bangladesh seems to be the world champion of mismanagement." He said thousands of crores are being collected every day as tolls, and that money is divided between different sectors. The Jatiya Party chief also said though those involved in the transport sector can change their fortune with toll money, the lives of common people remain insecure. “There is no visible initiative to secure the transport sector. A terrible uncertainty is created in the family of road accident victims. Every year thousands of people are getting crippled on the roads and they lead a helpless life afterwards,” he observed. GM Quader said the country’s people expect the government to take effective steps to make the roads and highways safe.

2 years ago

GM Quader demands probe into vaccine, Covid test costs

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Saturday demanded an investigation into the allegation of ‘unusual expenditures’ in coronavirus vaccine procurement, inoculation, and the Covid testing processes. “An allegation of huge irregularities in the purchase of corona vaccines, their administration and the cost of corona tests has been raised. The experts are saying the health ministry's expenditures are unusual,” he said. Read: Much of health sector allocation being looted: GM Quader In a statement, the Jatiya Party chief said, “So, it’s urgent to find out whether there’s any corruption in buying and administrating the vaccines and spending money for conducting corona tests.” Referring to media reports, he said a single dose of vaccine was procured at Tk 500 while Tk 2,500 is being spent on its administration. “In total, Tk 3,000 is being spent on the application of each dose of the vaccines, which the experts are saying is unacceptable.” GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said a study conducted by the health ministry in May last found that the government was spending on average Tk 1.28 lakh on treatment for each of the corona patients. Read: Lack of vaccines making Covid situation worse: GM Quader “But the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in an advertisement, published in different media on July 9, said the government has spent Tk 2 lakh per patient. With such information, experts smell corruption (in the treatment process),” he observed. The Jatiya Party chief said the health ministry is not talking about the inconsistencies in the expenditures of the patients’ treatment. Quader also said the DGHS in a press release on July 9 said a total of 656,871 people underwent Covid tests as of July 8 and the government has spent Tk 1,952 crore in this regard. On the other hand, GM Quader said the DGHS in its regular press statement said 50,49,203 corona tests have been conducted till July 9 under the government management. “So, there’s a clear inconsistency of around 15 lakh tests. But the health ministry is not responding to media reports and experts' opinions on the matter. Therefore, we demand the government look into the matter and find out whether there’s any corruption in the purchase and application of corona vaccines and in the expenses of corona tests.”

3 years ago