Mobile Courts Continue against Vehicles Charging Extra Fares: Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is conducting mobile courts in the city against the vehicles which are charging extra fares from passengers.

“From today, the BRTA’s mobile courts are being conducted in different places of Dhaka city against the vehicles which are realizing extra fares,” he told a press conference at his secretariat office here.

Quader, also the Awami League general secretary, said instructions have already been given at field level to conduct mobile courts across the country to check to realize additional transport fares from passengers.

He urged all concerned, including divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, highway police and district police, to play an effective role in this regard.

Quader reiterated that the government would take stern actions if the transport owners and workers charge extra fares from passengers.

He said if they do not refrain from charging additional fares from passengers, legal action will be taken against them.

Mentioning that the fares of diesel-run vehicles were re-fixed as the price of diesel and kerosene went up, the road transport and bridges minister said although the leaders of transport owners and workers associations pledged to realise fares at the re-fixed rates, there were allegations that various transport charged additional fares from passengers yesterday.

Some people have also found the smell of intrigue over the re-fixed transport fares, he said, questioning “Would it have been better for the people if the transport strike had continued?”

Quader sought the valuable advice of media, in the continuity of the past, to cut passengers’ sufferings.

“The fuel price hike was a normal thing during the BNP regime. Though the BNP forgot this, the country’s people are yet to forget it,” he said.

The fuel prices were soared eight times during the BNP’s five-year tenure and it failed to reduce fuel prices, the AL general secretary said.

He said although the fuel price lessened at the international market, the BNP government had increased fuel prices.

Despite increasing fuel prices five times in the last 13 years, the AL government also cut its prices five times during the period, he said, recalling that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reduced fuel price in 2009 within seven days of taking her office.

Quader said listening to the statements of the BNP leaders, it seems that the country is going through a war-like situation or famine continues here.

Responding to the allegations of the BNP leaders, he said the BNP's politics of falsehood and poisonous statements have made their political future extremely uncertain.

The AL general secretary said that is why the BNP is sinking in a sea of despair and trying to survive holding straws.

Earlier, a delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) met Obaidul Quader at his office.

During the meeting, they discussed the progress of the ongoing projects being implemented in Bangladesh with the support of the ADB.