The traffic department of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) clamps down on around 15,000 motorised three wheelers and 1,000 city service buses from today in a bid to ease the passengers' everyday hassles and streamline the commuter services within the periphery of 60-sq km area of the port city.
As per the drastic plan of the department, no passenger will be allowed to sit beside the driver of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw or tempo from today in the CMP area. Commuters are also prohibited to travel standing on the back of the tempo. They will have to buy tickets in advance from specified counters prior to their journey on board the city service buses.
“The move was taken to bring the unruly drivers and their assistants under regulation and to introduce civic sense as well as awareness in the second largest city of the country,” said CMP Deputy Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Ali Mia at a briefing yesterday at his office.
He said various measures including arrest, penalty and seizure of vehicles would be taken who would not abide strictly by the new rule starting on the first day of Bangla New Year.
The DC expressed hope that unwanted accidents would come down to a considerable extent with the introduction of their new initiative that also aims at streamlining the overall traffic system for greater benefit of the city and its dwellers.
Sources said around 13,000 CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 2,000 tempos and 840 buses ply on the city roads every day.
Of these, the buses ply through 11 routes with each of the routes having a pool of 75 buses, they added.
Mohammad Ali said they have identified 12 sites to monitor whether the new system is working or not and check posts will be erected at those places.
The sites are Muradpur Intersection, Sholoshahar, Tiger Pass, GEC Intersection, New Market, Olonkar Intersection, Agrabad-Badamtali Crossing, Nimtala (in port area), EPZ area, Oxygen (Jalalabad area), Karnaphuli Shah Amanat Bridge area and Colonel Hat.
It may be recalled that the department earlier took an initiative to ban mobile phone uses by the CNG auto-rickshaw drivers while driving the vehicles. It was a measure that has proved successful in preventing the CNG-based incident of mugging and other crimes, the DC claimed.
“Our record shows that no incident of CNG-based mugging have taken place in the city since March 1,” Mohammad Ali said.
He lauded the role of media in building awareness among citizens about the importance of disciplined traffic system and sought its cooperation for the new initiatives.
The DC also sought cooperation from commuters and requested them to inform the department instantly through its help-line numbers about their complaints, if any. The numbers are: 01817-212322, 01727-400400, 01727-400500, 01727-500500, 01919-911911, 01919-911912, 01919-911913 and 031-619880.