Major Changes in the country for the Conflict Regarding Road Safety Movement

Hard on the heels of student movement for safe roads, at last the National Parliament passed
the Road Transport Act, 2018, on September 19 last year and subsequently the president also
gave his consent to the new law on October 9 the same year. A gazette notification was also
published about the passage of the law but it was mentioned that the government would set
the law in motion after fixing an implementation schedule with an official notification. In
19th September last year parliament passed the Road Transport Act. Though the new
transportation act has some a controversial issues, it is the long desired outcome of the
people in Bangladesh. The key features of the new law are

 Five-year jail term and tk 500,000 fines for casualties in crashes caused by reckless
driving. The act stipulates that whoever causes the death of any person by rash or
negligent driving of any vehicle or riding on any public way not amounting to
culpable homicide shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend
to five years, or with up to Tk 500,000 fines, or with both, no matter what the penal
code says about such cases.

 If someone kills a person deliberately through a road crash, the killer will be tried in
line with section 302 of the Penal Code, which says, whoever commits murder
shall be punished with death, or (imprisonment) for life, and shall also be liable
to fine.

 It bars driving without licence. It has also made BRTA’s permission mandatory
for driving public transport. The maximum punishment for violating the related
section is six months’ imprisonment or tk 25,000 fines or both.

 A person has to be 18 years old to apply for a driving licence. The minimum
age to get professional driving licence is 21 years in line with the new law.

 The drivers must study at least up to grade eight. Drivers, conductors or their
representatives must take victims or road crash to hospital and inform police or
fire Service, the law says. The maximum punishment for violating this
provision is on month jail term or tk 20,000 fines or both.

 Driving unfit vehicle has been called an offence in the law and the punishment
for this crime is maximum six months of imprisonment or Tk 25000 fines or
both
 Comparison between the former law and the present law

Aspects of Comparison Former Transportation Act Present Transportation Act

Offence Punishment Punishment

Road crashes 6 months jail or tk 5000 fine or 5 year jail or tk 500000 fine or
both both

Driving without license 4 months jail or Tk. 500 fine or 6 months jail or Tk. 25000 fine
both or both

Vehicle without registration 3 months jail or tk 2000 fine or 6 months jail or Tk 50000 fine
both (first time) and 6 months or both
jail or Tk 5000 or both
( second time)

Unfit Vehicle 3 months jail or tk 2000 fine or 6 months jail tk 25000 fine or
both (first time) and 6 months both
jail or Tk 5000 or both
( second time)

Vehicles without route permit 3 months jail or tk 2000 fine or 3 months jail or tk 20000 fine
both or both

Meter tempering 3 months jail or tk 500 fine or 6 months jail or tk 50000 fine
both or both

Body modification 2 years jail tk 500 fine or both 3 years tk 300000 or both

Over speeding 3 months jail tk 500 fine or 3months jail tk 10000 fine or
both both

Honking banned horns Tk 200 3 months jail tk. 10000 fine or

both

Using wrong route Tk 200 3 months jail tk. 10000 fine or

both

Violating traffic signal Tk 500 3 months jail tk. 10000 fine or

both

Conformation and Differences between conflict demand and negotiating outcome

Demand of the Stakeholders of the conflict

The students on the movement exhibited placards like children’s corpses on father’s
shoulder- how many more “we want justice”, “Step down shipping minister immediately”,
“We don’t want 4G , we want to return home safe” etc. They assumed the role of traffic
police, checking driving licences and fitness certificates, and seizing the keys of the vehicles
that had no valid papers. For couple of days they were seen controlling the traffic, forcing
vehicles to drive in files across the city. They did what the law enforcers should have been
doing all along stop and check if the drivers of buses, cars, trucks and motorbikes on the road
had valid licences. They stopped CNGs to see if they were running on meters. In short, they
showed how traffic laws should be enforced, something that the law enforcers have ignored
to do so far. What was more for the authorities was that members of the police and even high-
level officials were seen flouting the rules these amazing boys and girls had the courage to
stand up to them and demand that the law is enforced equally for everyone. Students provided
there nine point demands which are given below

 Highest punishment for the bus drivers responsible for killing two of their fellows.

 Withdrawal of the shipping minister’s comments of July 29 and unconditional

apology from the minister.

 Establishing footbridges and taking safety measures for safe movement of students.

 Establishing speed breakers in accident prone areas including in front of the schools
and colleges.

 Unfit vehicles and driving without licence must be banned.

 Public transport fare must halved for students across the country.

 Ban on carrying passengers more than its capacity.

 Taking all responsibilities of the deceased and injured by the government.

 The arrested students must be freed.

 The students are demanding capital punishment of the driver responsible for student’s
death yesterday, shutting down Jabal-e-Noor and Suprabhat buses, and foot over
bridges near all educational institutions

Negotiating outcomes of the conflict

After providing the seven points demand the students who were the vital role player of the
conflict the government and the Supreme Court have negotiated the conflict. The outcomes of
the conflict among government, general public especially students and the labour union of the
transportation are following

 The victims’ families have been compensated. HC directed the perpetrator bus
company to provide 5 lakh each of the victim’s family initially and The Prime
Minister also provided 20 lakh each of the victim’s family.

 New foot-over Bridge and Zebra-crossing for where the accident took place
Minister’s Apology for his comment.

 Creation of consciousness among public that if they unite with a logical goal, they
could change anything.

 Two ministers, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and LGRD Minister Moshiur
Rahman Ranga, both have been left out from the current Cabinet of ministers. The
former was the executive president of the Bangladesh transport workers union and the
latter one is the chairman of Bangladesh transport Owners Union. This can be a
possible outcome of the movement.

 Public consciousness about laws that can ensure road-safety. Now public could feel
that they have a right to question any type of wrong-doing by the transport workers.
This was not present before the movement.

 Bus owners took the decision to put contract drivers on monthly payroll.

 Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday ordered the Suprobhat Paribahan owner to give
Tk 10 lakh in seven days to the family of Abrar Ahmed, who joined last year's road
safety.
 Comparison chart between the conflict demand and the negotiating outcome

Conflicting demand Negotiating Outcome

Highest punishment for killing the two The convicted company Compensate only
students with tk 5 lack to both family.
Withdrawal of the shipping minister’s Both of the minister have been left out from
comments the current Cabinet of ministers
Establishing footbridges speed breakers New foot-over Bridge and Zebra-crossing
Unfit vehicles and driving without licence Announce Traffic weeks by Dhaka
must be banned Metropolitan Police (DMP) to bane the
demanded transport
Final punishment for the killing by bus 5 years jail or tk 500000 fine or both
cruses
Divers academic qualification and license Divers must have minimum class 8
issues certificate and valid license
Monthly basis payment to the driver Under consideration

Rejoinder of the Transport Leader after New Transportation Act 2018 Amendment

The government formulated the long-awaited law on September 2019 by toughening

punishment of drivers for road accidents in the face of intense pressure following student
protests calling for road safety triggered by a deadly bus accident in Dhaka on July 29 last
year. But transport owners and workers have objected to several parts of the law and are
demanding they be revoked. After the passage of the act, Bangladesh Road Transport
Workers Federation observed a two-day strike on October 28-29 last year demanding changes
to the law. The transport workers had announced the strike for their eight demand in response
of the new transport act. They also claimed that the government passed the new law without
negotiating the matter with the transport leader and the government avoids the most
important parities relating to the conflict. The eight demands of the transport worker after
negating the former conflict are

 Making all offences under the Road Transport Act “bailable” where the new act
considers this offence as “non-bailable
 Cancellation of the provision that allows a worker to be fined Tk 5 lakh for
involvement in a road accident
  Keeping a representative from their federation in any probe body formed for
road accidents.
 Fixing the minimum educational qualification for getting a driving licence at
class-V.
 Reducing “Weigh-scale” (Truck Weight Scale) fine and cancellation of
punishment.
 During the registration of a vehicle, attested signature of union president and
general secretary should be made necessary.
 All the districts will have to issue a driver's licence with extensive training, and
corruption and irregularities in the issue of licences should be stopped
 Stopping police harassment on roads.

After negating the former civil conflict among students of different educational institutions
and Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Chatra League and Bangladesh Police, A new
conflict has supposed to occur in response to the new transportation act among Bangladesh
Transportation Authority, transportation leader, public bus drivers and the government of the
Bangladesh. Against this backdrop, the three-minister committee was formed. The
committee, comprising law, home and railway ministers, held its first meeting yesterday, with
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan in the chair. After a long time we have not apprehended
the result and the recommendations of that committee. Now the burning question is that has
the government implemented the new law effectively for this new conflict and hindrance of
the transport leader pressure.

Other government and international responses along with the Transportation act 2018

In response to the protests, national authorities especially Bangladesh police and the Supreme
Court have taken some other initiative before and after the new amendment of the
transportation act. Some of the government response of the conflict road safety movement are

 Announced Traffic Week, a week-long road safety program, by the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police (DMP). On its first day, 5 August, 19,366 cases were filed for
traffic rule violators, with 25,882 more recorded the following day. DMP is
announcing this programme regularly now. This can be indicated as major change that
have been taken place by the help of the movement.
  Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) scrutinised over 1,500 profiles on different social
media and launched legal action against 150 such profile holders for their alleged
involvement in instigating anarchy during the movement. Because the rumour has
negative impact on the national unity and sovereignty , it was one of the best
initiatives taken by the authority
 The day to day activities of the traffic police are performed efficiently after the
movement. Different temporary shops besides the road washed away by the DMP.
And the passenger of the road can enjoy the road and foot over bridge freely.
 The United Nations expressed concern for the safety of Bangladeshi children and
young people in the protests. The US Embassy in Dhaka issued a statement
condemning the actions taken against the student protesters
 The High Commission of Canada to Bangladesh also expressed Canada's concern for
the safety of the students exercising their rights and called for action against "those
violating these democratic rights
 New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the Bangladesh government for
"unlawfully attacking" student protesters and locking up people for "peaceful
criticism"

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