Prime Minister orders faster work on the circular road to ease traffic jams
- Prime Minister meets UK High Commissioner
Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman has ordered officials to speed up the work on the circular road to ease traffic jams in the capital. He gave this order at a meeting to review the progress of the Inner Circular Ring Road in Dhaka. Yesterday, he chaired the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Hasan Shiplu shared this news later.
The government has made many decisions to control traffic jams, bring modern technology into traffic management and restore order in public transport. The meeting discussed the progress of several of these steps. They include electronic toll collection (ETC) at the toll plazas of expressways and flyovers, and the shift of Fulbaria Bus Terminal to Keraniganj. They also include the expansion of Gabtoli Bus Terminal and the move of the Karwan Bazar kitchen market to Gabtoli.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister told the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Local Government Division to work together. He asked them to review the current plan of the project and speed up the work. He said officials must find the problems that slow down the project and remove them fast. He also stressed strong coordination among the agencies and a realistic deadline to finish the work. He also ordered them to show clear progress on the project soon.
Mr. Sheikh Robiul Alam, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways and Shipping, attended the meeting. State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mr. Mir Shahe Alam and State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Mr. Habibur Rashid Habib also attended. Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Mr. Abdus Salam and Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mr. Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton were there as well. Senior officials of the related ministries and divisions joined them too.
A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister held another meeting at his Tejgaon office. He gave these decisions and orders at that meeting, and he chaired it as well. The meeting discussed the overall traffic situation in Dhaka and the pressure of vehicles on key roads and flyovers. It also covered public transport management, the rearrangement of bus terminals, parking and the modernisation of the traffic system.
The meeting decided to start electronic toll collection (ETC) at the toll plazas of expressways and flyways in the capital. Officials will also build an app to make the system easy and effective. The Prime Minister ordered them to finish the whole work within the next four months. Officials will review the earlier BUET study and report on the traffic jams near the Jatrabari to Gulistan flyover. The related officials must submit an updated report with the needed advice within 15 days. The city corporations and the traffic police will then work together on the next steps. The meeting also discussed the progress of these tasks.
Fulbaria terminal will move to Keraniganj: The government has decided to move Fulbaria Bus Terminal to Keraniganj to ease the pressure of public transport in central Dhaka. The Ministry of Local Government will take steps to buy the land needed for this.
Temporary terminal at Jhilmil: A permanent bus terminal will take time to build. So the government has decided to build a temporary terminal on 15 acres of land in the Jhilmil project in Keraniganj for now. The Prime Minister ordered officials to make it ready to use within the next four months.
Gabtoli terminal will get more space: The government has started work to expand the rear part of Gabtoli Bus Terminal and raise its capacity. The roads department, the traffic police and other related agencies must work together on this.
Karwan Bazar kitchen market will move: To ease traffic jams and the pressure on roads, the government will move the Karwan Bazar kitchen market to Gabtoli. The Prime Minister ordered officials to start the needed work fast.
More parking near the Secretariat: To reduce the pressure of vehicles in the Secretariat area, officials will check if they can build parking space near the Osmani Memorial Auditorium. The Prime Minister also ordered them to find more parking spots as needed.
Separate policy for auto rickshaws: The government has decided to make a separate policy to bring more order and control to auto rickshaws in Dhaka.
Action against unapproved sleeper buses: The Prime Minister ordered the related officials to take legal action against double decker sleeper buses that run without approval.
Coordination among agencies: The meeting stressed stronger coordination among the government agencies to ease traffic jams. The Prime Minister told the related officials to work actively to carry out the decisions within the set time.
UK High Commissioner meets Prime Minister
Yesterday afternoon, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ms. Sarah Cook paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman. They met at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. They talked about the current bilateral ties between Bangladesh and the UK, and many issues of shared interest. They stressed making the historic and friendly bond between the two countries stronger and wider.
They also discussed more cooperation in many areas of shared interest. These include trade and investment, economic cooperation, education, skills development, migration and human resource development. They also talked about the UK’s continued support for Bangladesh’s economic growth. They discussed the chance to widen trade and investment between the two countries in the future. During the meeting, both sides said they were hopeful about taking the friendly ties forward and opening new areas of cooperation for shared interest. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Humayun Kabir and other related officials were also present.
