Public transport to have insurance: Muhith

Dhaka, July 13 (bdnews24.com)?The government has moved to bring the public transports under large-scale insurance to maintain normal transport activities in general strikes.

"We will bring the vehicles of BRTC (state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) under insurance," finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting on the matter with businessmen from different sectors.

"The businessmen would hold campaigns in division to bring the private transports under insurance," he said.

He said, "People are afraid to drive their vehicles during hartal as those could be vandalised any moment. Their fear will reduce gradually if the vehicles are insured."

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries president A K Azad, Beximco group vice-chairman Salman F Rahman and Bangladesh Insurance Association chairman Sheikh Kabir Hossain attended the meeting.

Kabir said, "Public transport insurance system is still in effect. But few insurances give compensation. We are taking initiatives to promote large-scale insurance."

bdnews24.com/rb/trb/sh/nir/2234h

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'Punishment to transport owners too for accidents'

FE Report

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain has said the government will include a provision of punishment to the transport owners in the Motor Vehicles Act, which is now under revision, in view of their responsibility in connection with road accidents.

"The drivers are certainly responsible for road accidents but the owners may project such unwanted situations to make them conscious about the value of lives," the minister told reporters Thursday after he visited Mirsarai of Chittagong district to express sympathy to the families of the schoolboys who died in a truck accident last Monday.

Some 39 students of a Mirsarai school met their end of lives when a truck carrying them home from a football match skidded off the road into a canal.

The incident cast a spell of grief over the entire nation. The educational institutions across the country observed a day mourning Wednesday wearing black badges. Most of the envoys of foreign missions also expressed their condolences over the accident.

During his visit to the spot of the accident the minister admitted that the driver was mainly responsible for the worst-ever such accident. He however said the elderly people who arranged the boys' return from the place in a truck also had some responsibility.

The minister visited some houses of the victims' families and declared providing Tk 25,000 for each family of the deceased and Tk 10,000 each for those who were injured.

He also offered education free of cost for other children of these families in his constituency up to high level.

Secretary of newly set-up Railway Division and chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation accompanied the minister during the visit.

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Ctg transport strike postponed

Chittagong, June 24 (bdnews24.com)?The indefinite transport strike, which was scheduled to be enforced in five districts of Chittagong from Sunday, has been called off.

A platform of transport owners and workers, which called the strike to push for its 12-point charter of demands, decided to postpone the programme after a discussion with the local administration on Thursday evening.

Brihattara Chattragram Sarak Paribahan Malik-Sramik Sangram Parishad called the strike on all the routes of Chittagong Metropolitan City and district, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Cox's Bazar.

"We put off the strike for one month following assurance of the administration to consider our demands," Parishad convenor Abul Kalam Azad told bdnews24.com.

He, however, pointed out that previous assurances from the administration had not been materialised.

Azad warned that if their demands were not met within the one-month deadline, they would move for further programmes from Aug 1.

The parishad's 12-point demands include reducing prices of spare parts of vehicles, withdrawal of ban on vehicles older than 20 years, preventing harassment by the highway police, stop robbery on the road, prevention of BRTA corruption and terminals for all modes of vehicles.

Presided over by additional divisional commissioner Alef Uddin, the meeting was attended by Chittagong deputy commissioner Foyez Ahmed, top police officials and representatives of the Parishad.

bdnews24.com/cm/cs/aik/tk/sht/1610h

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Ctg transport strike postponed

Chittagong, June 24 (bdnews24.com)?The indefinite transport strike, which was scheduled to be enforced in five districts of Chittagong from Sunday, has been called off.

A platform of transport owners and workers, which called the strike to push for its 12-point charter of demands, decided to postpone the programme after a discussion with the local administration on Thursday evening.

Brihattara Chattragram Sarak Paribahan Malik-Sramik Sangram Parishad called the strike on all the routes of Chittagong Metropolitan City and district, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Cox's Bazar.

"We put off the strike for one month following assurance of the administration to consider our demands," Parishad convenor Abul Kalam Azad told bdnews24.com.

He, however, pointed out that previous assurances from the administration had not been materialised.

Azad warned that if their demands were not met within the one-month deadline, they would move for further programmes from Aug 1.

The parishad's 12-point demands include reducing prices of spare parts of vehicles, withdrawal of ban on vehicles older than 20 years, preventing harassment by the highway police, stop robbery on the road, prevention of BRTA corruption and terminals for all modes of vehicles.

Presided over by additional divisional commissioner Alef Uddin, the meeting was attended by Chittagong deputy commissioner Foyez Ahmed, top police officials and representatives of the Parishad.

bdnews24.com/cm/cs/aik/tk/sht/1610h

View the original article here

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