Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government would recover the footpaths from illegal possession in phases beginning next month.
The decision was taken at the 22nd meeting of the National Road Safety Council at a city hotel yesterday, the minister told reporters after the meeting.
The two city corporations – north and south – and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will enforce the drive, he added.
It was also decided at the meeting that a coordination committee of five ministries – Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, Shipping Ministry, Railways Ministry, LGRD Ministry and Home Affairs Ministry – would be formed to take measures to prevent road accidents across the country.
Among a series of other decisions taken at the meeting, notable were a project of Tk165 crore for addressing black spots and 144 accident-prone turns on the highways, constructing 20 bus stoppages at various points, and putting up signs, signals and zebra crossings in the capital.
The meeting also approved the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan for the next three years.
The Council also decided to sit after every two months to monitor the road safety situation.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and State Minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Moshiur Rahman Ranga, among others, attended the meeting.
