The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Sunil Kanti Bose yesterday admitted that half of the country's driving licenses are fake.

"Fifty percent of the driving licenses that are now in use are not issued by BRTA…(Issued) by somebody else," he said in a view-exchange meeting between the Anti-Corruption Commission and senior officials of Communications Ministry at the ACC headquarters.

Responding to a query, the BRTA chairman said measures are underway to address the problem, including planned introduction of high-security licenses.

He said the offices from where vehicle registration and license issuance are done are the two most corrupt places in his department. He also termed 'middle men' problem as the most severe problem faced by BRTA. Sunil described mobile courts as ineffective to deal with transport-related problems.

Speaking on the occasion, Communications secretary Iqbal Mahmud acknowledged that corruption take place in estimation of projects and tender process. "There is no way to deny it," he said.