Campaigners call for Tk10 lakh in compensation for each crash death

Blaming ruling party cliques for mismanagement in the transportation sector that lead to frequent accidents, road safety campaigners have demanded compensation amounting to Tk10 lakh for each of the families of those who died in road mishaps and Tk5 lakh for each of the families of those who ended up injured.

The issues came up as the Road Safety Foundation and the Passengers Welfare Association held separate press conferences in the capital on Saturday on the occasion of National Road Safety Day.

Road Safety Foundation Chairman Professor AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed stated that the country's transportation system is extremely disorganised. No formal or informal initiatives have been entirely implemented in maintaining discipline in the road sector, he said.

"The powerful groups are not cooperating in implementing road transportation laws through various means. Exercising political influence, these vested interest groups are manipulating the management of road transportation for their own benefit," he said.

Passengers Welfare Association Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, citing a 2017 report by the Department of Roads and Highways, said a financial loss of Tk24.62 lakh occurs due to the death of a working person.

He said implementing the rule of law in this sector will be possible if the cases of road accidents are registered with great importance, investigations are conducted and completed under special supervision at the earliest and trials are completed quickly.

If CCTV cameras are installed on roads all over the country, it will be easier to identify the vehicles and the accused involved in the road accidents, Mozammel Chowdhury suggested.

If every traffic violation is taken into account, the tendency of people breaking the law will also be reduced, he said.