A decision was made to guarantee passenger safety when travelling for Eid
The Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association has issued an urgent directive to equip all long-distance buses with CCTV cameras in order to prevent theft, robberies, and harassment of female passengers during Eid travel. On Saturday, a letter with this directive was sent to all bus owners and local district branches under the association.
Earlier, on 8 April, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) also sent a letter to the association, asking them to take action to prevent such crimes.
Emergency Meeting Held with Bus Owners and Workers
On Sunday, 25 May at 11 am, the association arranged an urgent meeting at its central office in Dhaka. The meeting was attended by bus owners and leaders of workers’ unions. The main goal of this meeting was to discuss and decide on installing CCTV cameras in every long-distance bus, especially those that operate during the day and night on highways.
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Worries Over Passenger Safety and Speeding
According to a letter signed by Md. Saiful Alam, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, passengers on long-distance routes have been facing frequent issues like:
- Robbery and snatching inside buses
- Harassment and assault of female passengers
- Accidents due to reckless and over-speeding by drivers
To properly investigate and prevent these problems, the installation of CCTV cameras has become essential, the letter stated. The government has now made this mandatory and has given strict instructions to ensure this is done.
Deadline for Camera Installation: 1 June
The letter further says that all bus companies and owners operating on long-distance routes must install CCTV cameras within seven days, that is, by 1 June. Bus owners have been told to take this instruction seriously and inform their members immediately.
Failure to follow this order will result in:
- Organizational and legal actions against the bus owner
- Stopping serial numbers for those buses, meaning they won’t be allowed to operate
- Additional checks to ensure that each bus has a speed governor sealed properly
Earlier Warnings After Rise in Accidents
In another letter on 20 May, the Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association noted a sharp increase in accidents on long-distance routes.
The association urged all member companies to:
- Instruct drivers, supervisors, and helpers to strictly follow traffic rules
- Avoid over-speeding
- Not overtake recklessly on highways
They also requested urgent counselling or awareness meetings with vehicle staff to make sure these safety rules are followed properly.
Source: Kaler Kantho
