In the backdrop of a student movement for safer roads, the number of applicants seeking driving licences and renewal of other necessary papers from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has increased since last week.
According to officials, number of such applications increased in an unprecedented rate after thousands of school and college students took to streets and started checking driving licences and vehicle registration and fitness certificates since the death of two college students in a road accident in Dhaka on July 29.
Their movement had prompted the police and authorities to launch special drives. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) also started Traffic Week from Sunday to ensure implementation of the traffic laws.
BRTA Assistant Director Ali Ahsan Milon on Monday told the Dhaka Tribune that they normally issue 150-200 new driving licences every day. “But since last Thursday, we issued up to 270-280 licences every day.”
He said the number of licence renewal also doubled over the past few days. “We usually renew 80-100 driving licences every day, but now the number is around 210. Also, general we issue 750-800 fitness certificates daily, but we are issuing 1,100-1,300 now.
“And because of the August 5-11 Traffic Week, the number of BRTA service seekers in total has nearly doubled in the last few days.”
During a visit to the BRTA office on Monday, more than 1,000 people were seen waiting in long queues at the counters on the premises since the morning for different reasons, including submission of necessary documents and fees.
Many owners and drivers also came to get their learner’s permit and register their vehicles.
Farhad Hossain from Badda said he was at BRTA to collect his learner permit as he was going to learn driving for professional purposes.
Jamal, a driver of Bahan Paribahan, said that his driving license had expired in January this year. “I am here to renew my licence immediately as my employer has said that otherwise I will be fired.”
Meanwhile, the BRTA has published advertisements on different national dailies urging people to renew all the necessary documents for their vehicles immediately. Otherwise, it has warned that the invalid driving licences, registration papers, fitness certificates and route permits would be cancelled right away whenever they are caught.
DMP’s Traffic Department filed 3,651 cases in the city along over violations of traffic rules on Sunday, the first day of Traffic Week.
The Prime Minister's Office on July 31 had also directed DMP and BRTA to take legal action against under-age drivers and those who drive without valid documents.
