The government has decided to intensify the ongoing drive by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) against illegal vehicles to improve the city’s traffic system.
The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Lt. Gen. (retd.) Abdul Hafiz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Defence and National Cohesion Development, held on Monday to review the progress of decisions made at a meeting on 29 September 2024 at the Chief Adviser’s office regarding the development of Dhaka’s traffic management and easing traffic congestion.
The meeting was attended by Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, DMP, Dhaka North and South City Corporations, and transport expert Dr. SM Salehuddin.
The meeting reviewed the progress of decisions taken based on recommendations from BUET.
DMP’s Additional Commissioner (Traffic) informed the meeting that, in an effort to enhance field-level performance, 4,200 police officers and 600 student representatives have already been deployed. From 1 September 2024 to 31 December 2024, DMP conducted operations against 45,457 battery-operated rickshaws and 5,979 manually operated rickshaws. In addition, a total fine of Tk 49,98,54,365 was imposed, and 139,001 traffic violation cases were filed.
Professor Moazzem Hossain of BUET mentioned that, following the Chief Adviser’s directive, a pilot project to implement traffic signal systems using domestic technology will be carried out at four intersections in Dhaka by 6 February 2025. Based on the results of the pilot, the system will be expanded to 18 more intersections within four months.
Khoda Baksh Chowdhury highlighted that work is already underway to formulate a policy for regulating battery-operated rickshaws. Once the policy is finalised, it will help control their movement on major roads. He also emphasised the need for timely completion of road markings,
He stressed the formation of at least six traffic monitoring teams under the leadership of DMP and two teams under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority to monitor and resolve traffic congestion.
