The New Nation - Internet Edition

The utter anarchic situation of the highway traffic of the country is necessarily a reflection of the dilapidated condition of Highway Police. Strengthening of the force with necessary logistic support is the precondition to establish discipline on the highway system. Faster development of roads and highways demanded by the accelerated growth of economic activities in the country underscored the need for a strong and efficient highway patrolling force. In a timely response to this demand, the highway unit of the police force was formed in June 2005 with proposed 24 stations and 48 outposts under a single command. But this poorly manned unit is reported to be suffering from severe lack of fund, transport facilities, accommodation and other essential amenities. According to media reports, rules and regulations to adequately empower highway police to enforce discipline are yet to be enacted. The 2042-strong force led by a deputy inspector general is too weak to watch over all the highways, let alone strict enforcement of traffic rules.

The highway police are assigned with highly responsible and challenging tasks of ensuring easy and uninterrupted movement of vehicles and protecting lives and properties of the commuters. The main cause of the high rates of road accidents leading to huge loss of lives and properties is the violation of traffic rules and lack of enforcement of speed limits. Some of the drivers are found to vie over overtaking one another at high speed. Bigger vehicles dictate over the roads while smaller ones are compelled to yield to their whims. Showing utter disrespect to enforcement of discipline on the highways, powerful persons riding in costly cars and jeeps are sometimes found to flout traffic rules and regulations. Due to inability and inefficiency of the relevant law-enforcing agency, organised extortion and robbery on the highways are quite rampant. To overcome the existing anarchy in the highway transport system, traffic rules must strictly be enforced. For this the highway police must be developed as a strong and efficient organisation with unified leadership and strong chain of command. It is hoped that the enactment of the above laws would make the unit capable of shouldering the gigantic tasks of enforcing traffic rules and making roads and highways safe. To achieve requisite qualities, the highway police itself must keep its ranks clean and refrain from indulging in corruption and negligence of duties.

Ariful Huq

Mirpur, Dhaka