Bangladesh has been firm in its intention of building a Smart Bangladesh in the next two decades. However, we remain some distance from being a nation that is even close to being one.
One such aspect we are severely lacking is our transportation system and the state of traffic in our major cities, particularly the capital city of Dhaka.
To that end, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh announcing that 100 double-decker electric buses will be joining the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan service by this year is just the sort of ambitious initiative we ought to expect from a nation that wants to become Smart Bangladesh.
Not only will the fleet of buses go a long way to address our need for public transport and thereby, hopefully, also reduce traffic on our roads, but the fact that they are set to be electric buses tells us that the authorities concerned also have an eye on sustainability.
However, it is one thing to make plans and promises and another altogether to stay true to them. The people of Bangladesh have been let down time and time again when promises have failed to become reality, and this cannot be the reality for this proposed initiative.
We want to believe Mayor Taposh when he says that strict measures will be taken to ensure the quality of passenger service and ensure order by removing the obstacles in the city transport. All eyes will be on him and his administration now to deliver on his promises, and usher in a new era of smart transportation that is befitting of a smart nation.
