DHAKA: The government decided to lift the ban on movement of 25-year-old trucks in the city, backtracking on a cleansing drive to drive rundown vehicles off the streets.

Apparently under pressure from truck owner-workers’ nexus, the decision came from a meeting of Bangladesh Truck, Covered Van, Long Vehicle Owners-workers Oikya Parishad with Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain at the ministry Wednesday.

The minister said 25-year-old good-laden vehicles can move in Dhaka city from 11 pm to 6am.

The government banned old vehicles from Dhaka roads from 15 July as per decision of the Communications Ministry.

Since then, Bangladesh Truck, Covered Van, Long Vehicle Owners-workers Oikya Parishad has pressed for ditching the prohibition. In this perspective, the Communications Minister sat with them Wednesday.

“The truckers pressed their seven-point demand at the meeting, threatening indefinite truck strike from 2 August if the demands were not accepted,” a meeting source said.

The seven pleas are: facility to ply good-laden vehicles from 8 pm to 7 am in the city, permission for all fit trucks to move, providing skilled truck drivers with license on easy terms, stopping harassment of owners-workers in the name of requisition and toll collection by traffic and highway police in the name of examining documents, lifting cases filed under the vehicle ordinance in all accidents and implementing all deals signed with owners-workers.

On different allegations from owners-workers Seyed Abul Hossain said, “Mobile court cannot file any case for any cause other than expired route permit and fitness license from now on.”

The meeting was informed a total of 667 cases were filed in the last six days after the ban was slapped on movement of 25-year-old lorries and fined Tk 566,500.
Communications Secretary Mozzamel Haq Khan and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman were among others presented at the meeting.

BDST 1744 HRS JULY 21, 2010