Tuesday 12 noon. A policeman in charge of traffic is standing with an umbrella at the Shahbag intersection. The vehicle is running near the policeman without obeying the signal.
Hamidul is another policeman serving in the same signal. He is a type of stunt to handle the signal. You can stop the drivers running here and there. This scene of uncontrolled traffic does not change from morning to 12 midnight.
The reckless movement of auto rickshaws on the highway has also made the residents of the capital restless. Illegal rickshaws have no control over other vehicles. Drivers do not care about the law. Signal disobedience is now an unwritten rule. This has increased traffic congestion in Dhaka. But such a scene was not there even a month ago. Why did the picture suddenly change?
On Tuesday (September 10), the reporter visited at least 10 traffic intersections including Banglamotor, Shahbagh, Karwan Bazar in the capital and found the reason for the change in the scenario. The helpless surrender of the police on the road is the main reason for the increase in traffic congestion.
According to the policeman who was standing with an umbrella at Shahbagh junction, the traffic policemen of all intersections had a narrow role. When law enforcement and regulators are silent, drivers are easily disobeying signals. This creates confusion. Illegal vehicles are also on the roads due to non-use of the law. Prohibited vehicles like auto rickshaws are also plying on the highway. Unexpected traffic has increased vehicle pressure on roads that were long past their capacity. Various stands built on the road are increasing the traffic congestion. Common people are paying for it.
A bus passenger named Abu Bakkar said, It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach Shahbagh from Farmgate. It would take maybe 15 minutes if I walked. The police are not telling anyone. That's the problem. Dhaka is covered with auto rickshaws. There is no way for other vehicles to move. We are running out of time. Income margins are shrinking.
Another passenger named Fatema said that the country is running lawless. Otherwise, how can such anarchy happen? How can a state function without the application of law? A healthy environment should be created by removing these vehicles from the roads by enforcing the law very quickly.
Researchers said that in 2005, the traffic speed of Dhaka roads was 21 kilometers per hour. In the latest research it has come to just 4 km which is less than the walking speed of a healthy person. As a result, on the one hand, the people of Dhaka have suffered greatly; on the other hand, the scope of the economy has decreased. According to the data, 30 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) comes from Dhaka's roads. As a result, this fragile state of traffic is affecting the GDP.
Law violators themselves are questioning the role of the police behind such anarchy on the roads. This reporter spoke to at least more than 50 auto rickshaw drivers plying on the capital's highways. All of them claim that they are walking on the road because the police did not stop them. If blocked, it will not run. The same complaint is also made against other drivers who disobey the signal.
This reporter stopped the motorbike driver who disobeyed the signal at the Banglamotor traffic intersection at 3 pm on Tuesday. When asked why he disobeyed the signal, the driver named Ismail said, "You see I am in a hurry." Many traffic jams must go quickly. Moreover, the police are not saying anything. If there was a law, I would obey; It's not there now, is it?
Auto rickshaw driver Mubarak said, now no one stops. So let's run. What should I do? Gave us a little chance, so running.
Another auto-rickshaw driver said, he used to agree, but he didn't come before. Don't do it now, so come on. If there is a problem when the auto is running then why don't the police stop it. Don't kick us in the stomach. There is no traffic jam for us.
After such statements of the law breakers themselves, the question is why the police are not following the prevailing laws and road safety policies of the country?
In this regard, many of the policemen who are in charge of traffic on the road say that the morale of the police has been broken after the popular uprising. The police are not enforcing the law because of fear. There is no guidance from higher authorities.
The truth of which was also found in the statement of Harun, the policeman in charge of traffic control in Shahbagh. He said autorickshaws were being banned, but they are running again. what will we do We are not allowed to enforce the law. What can we do without permission from above? No permission from higher authorities. Earlier there was a rule to file a case now it is not even allowed.
However, traffic chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Khondokar Nazmul Hasan, is denying the issue of not giving instructions to enforce the law.
He said, only the work of stopping the vehicles on the road and checking the documents is closed. However, police will take action if the signal is violated. That instruction is given. At the same time, strict instructions have been given to prevent illegal vehicles from running.
Former Director of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Accident Research Center and communication expert Dr Hadiuzzaman said that the number of main roads in Dhaka city is very less. We have long gone beyond the capacity of the road. Where public transport was supposed to be dominant is not there either. At that place, when small retail vehicles like auto rickshaws are coming on the road, then we have gone beyond the capacity of the road.
On the one hand, traffic congestion has become widespread as a result of going beyond the capacity of the road. Dhaka city is in a state of disrepair. The wheels of the car are not moving. It is taking 3 hours to 4 hours to cover the one hour road. In addition, there is a huge security risk.
The drivers of these illegal vehicles on the highway have become drivers overnight. They know the exact rules of how to drive in an urban city, how to follow the signal, how to stop at a traffic signal. When to enter the inter section. Not knowing how to get out of the intersection. Similarly, these illegal vehicle drivers do not have any training. As the vehicle is illegal, so is the driver.
Regarding police law enforcement, he said, police is a professional organization. They should act professionally. That happened. For that, if they stand on the road with the collapse of their morale that we are seeing, it will not happen. They have strayed far from the duty of the police to control traffic. As a result, I think a lot of arbitrariness has started on the road.
He said, we have DMP commissioner for guidance. There is an Additional Commissioner of traffic division. They have a chain of command. There is no chance of this chain of command being broken. Police is a professional institution. They are told whose responsibility it is. They are government institutions, they are responsible for law and order and they are also responsible for the fragile situation we are witnessing. As a result, police operations should be started in full swing.
If we can't control auto rickshaws, it will only get worse. Later more charcoal must be burned. Even if I wanted to, I cannot remove those who have gone down the road overnight. Dr. Hadiuzzaman said to be strategic for this.
