Don't take law in own hand in road accidents: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday asked all concerned not to take law in own hands after road accidents, calling for maintaining traffic rules to check the road mishaps. "Don't take law in hand. Accident is an accident. It can be found out later who is responsible for that," she said while opening the four uplift schemes, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here this  morning. The law enforcing agencies would look into the matter and find out who is responsible for the mishap and take necessary legal action, she said.

Referring to the incidents of lynching drivers to death in different times by pedestrians, the premier said getting fear of being lynched, the drivers try to flee the scene by rough driving after ramming into a person, resulting in his tragic death. "I call upon all to give time to find out why the accident occurred, what reason was behind it and who was responsible for that," she said.

The prime minister asked the pedestrians not to cross the road or railway tracks talking over mobile phone or to pass the road hurriedly. She also urged all to maintain traffic rules including use of foot over bridges and underpasses while crossing the roads.

Among the development schemes under the Roads and Highways Division, a pedestrian underpass was constructed on Dhaka-Airport Highway as part of the prime minister's pledge following the deaths of two school students in a road accident near Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment School and College on July 29 in 2018.

Sheikh Hasina asked the education ministry to issue an order for authorities concerned of all schools to develop a safe and secured system in helping their children cross the road by their own men during their opening and closing times. The prime minister also stressed the need for educating students about the traffic rules and necessity of maintaining the rules from the primary level of education.

The newly constructed uplift projects which were opened by the premier today are: the pedestrian underpass adjoining Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment School and College on Dhaka-Airport Highway, Sylhet Town Bypass-Garrison Link 4 Highway, Balukhali (Cox's Bazar) - Ghundhum (Bandarban) Boundary Link Road, a 500 metre bridge on the Chengi river at Naniarchar in Rangamati district.

The country's first box pushing underpass with having lift and moving staircases was built at a cost of Tk 57.43 crore while Sylhet Town Bypass-Garrison Link 4 Highway at Tk 274 crore, Balukhali (Cox's Bazar) - Ghundhum (Bandarban) Boundary Link Road at Tk 78.85 crore, the 500 metre bridge on the Chengi river at Naniarchar in Rangamati district, the largest bridge in the Chattogram Hill Tracks area, at Tk 227.61 crore Bangladesh Army's 24 and 34 engineering construction brigade supervised the development schemes

After inaugurating the projects, Sheikh Hasina said, "With opening the four development schemes, we are marching ahead to implement our pledges to the grassroots people to turn Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous country as envisioned by the Father of the Nation".  She added that the development schemes would pave the way of boosting trade and business and make people's communication easy alongside contributing to decrease the nagging traffic snarl and road accidents. 

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, local public representatives, high civil and military officials were connected to the programmes from the respective sites. Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed spoke on the occasion while PM's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus moderated it. Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Md. Nazrul Islam gave a brief description about the four development projects while Engineer-in-chief of Bangladesh Army Major General Ibne Fazal Shayekhuzzaman also spoke.