“To ensure trafic rules YES were in streets of Dhaka (Bangladesh)”

[Md. Arefin Islam]

Dhaka is a most dense town in Bangladesh. Because of the capital of Bangladesh, there are many people come here everyday for standard of living. Again, there are many vehicles get permission to run in Dhaka city. An ideal city should have 25% road but Dhaka has only 8% road. On the other hand, one-third of this 8% are block by hawker (street temporary business). The over population, vehicle permission and lack of streets are main cause of traffic jam.
After long expectations we, the YES (Youth Engagement and Support) groups of ULAB, IBAIS, Nourthern and Stamford university students successfully celebrated “Traffic Awareness Progrramme” by the support of Transperancy International Bangladesh (TIB).Our activities were to ensure traffic rules to mass people, to help traffic police for less gathering in the streets and aware people what to do by providing leaflets and pamphlets. The progrramme held on Zhigatola road to Old Dhanmondi 27 on 17th to 19th November.
On 17th morning, we celebrated a human chain with banner and manifestos on Zhigatola Bus-stand. All of our members wore red t-shirts with a logo of YES-TIB. After an informal meeting with TIB advisors; along with the Professors of following four universities and Senior Police Officer of DMP, we returned back to our duty-spots. Every team was divided for 5 different spots with 5 to 8 YES members including 2 Red Crescient volenteers. Our duty-spots were Zhigatola; 9/A; 12/A, oppisite of Abahoni field; Sonkor Bus stand and Mina Bazar of Old Dhanmondi 27. On the 1st day (17th Nov) I worked on Old Dhanmondi 15. I saw that infront of ALMAS, there were huge amount of cars parked but they have a parking zone on underground but drivers don’t park there legally.quad road passage junction (infront of Keari Plaza) is controlled manually by traffic police but there were only few of them. Some rickshaw stood by the side of both UIU and Keari Plaza. That’s another reason for traffic. On 19th November, My next point was infront of Star-Kabab (opposite of Abhani field). From the morning I saw rickshaws were gathered there. I faced a common problem at both spots where passangers stopped their vehicle infront of the shop which was creating jam too. One traffic police said that, there are no toilet and drinking water facilities for them. And duration of their duty is for an agonising period of 8 hours. That place always crowed for two private universities, offices and fast food restaurants. Some motor bikesdrove themselves in wrong ways I asked them about their faults, but they answered me that there is no U-turn spots near by, and for that reason they took the wrong sides. Another major fact is the lack of parking place infront of Star-Kabab and Pizza Hut. The authority of Trans-silva talked to one of our group member and appreciated our task. He adviced, drivers need workshop to know about rules and Trans-silva willing to help for this types of tasks. At the evening after day long duty we all met at IBAIS univesity to share our opinion & sugession with the TIB authority.
TIB provided us the breakfast, lunch; convence cost and so on. All the YES members would like to thank TIB, Authority of Metropoliton Police, Traffic Police, Red Criscent volenteers and also the YES group of IBAIS University for their hospitality.

Md. Arefin Islam
ULAB YES
Dep.of “Media Studies and Journalism”
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
[e-mail]

[Ariful Islam Arman]

nice....Go ahead

[Ariful Islam Arman]