Steps Towards Development has organized a campaign program based on the slogan “Roads be safe for all” on the occasion of the celebration of the Road Safety Week from 22 October to 29 October 2024. Policy Influence Groups (PIG) of Bogra, Barishal and Chattogram carried out this campaign. On October 23, 2024, Bangladesh Mahila Samiti Girls High School gave auspicious introduction to this program by Vice President of Central Executive Council of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and Chairperson of Chittagong Social Development Forum (CSDF) SM Najer Hossain. The president of CAB Chittagong metropolis and prominent women leader Jasmine Sultana Paru, president of Policy Influence Group (PIG) Chittagong and prominent columnist Muhammad Musa Khan, joint member secretary Saidur Rahman Mintu, former president of Boalkhali Upazila Chairman Samiti Noor Mohammad chairman spoke in solidarity in the campaign program. In addition Jannatul Ferdous, Organizing Secretary of CAB Chittagong Metropolis, Chittagong Metropolis Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal Vice President Saima Haque, Chattala Kantha Editor Kamal Chakraborty, student leader and member of CAB Youth Group Raisul Islam, Odhikar Chattogram Coordinator Osman Jahangir, CAB Leader MA Awal Shaheen, Fatema Begum etc. were present as guest.
Later the campaign program was conducted in Nasirabad Government Boys High School. The leaders in the campaign program said that the pedestrians and passengers are not informed about the road transport law and the duties of the passengers on the road, many people have developed a culture of disobeying the law due to the ignorance of the passengers. On the other hand, Road infrastructural weakness, reckless driving by drivers and helpers, silence and weak capacity of law enforcement agencies are not stopping the march of anarchy and death on the roads. But in the midst of so much despair, the fighters of August 5 have shown that change is possible. And because of this, people’s expectations are very high for the current young generation. They hope that one day the march of anarchy and death on the country’s roads will be stopped by the hands of August warriors.
Speakers also said that even though young children protested in 2018 for a complete road safety law, no such law was enacted in real sense. Due to the protection of the interests of bus owners and workers in the enacted law, the demand for a completely new road safety law has once again become one of the demands of the common people.
The speakers said, just like the students and youth took the responsibility to restore order on the roads after August 5, the young society should take the lead in demanding the formulation of a new road safety law. They expressed their hope that the road safety law would be implemented with the collective efforts of all.
The speakers said that every day there is a death procession in the city, some children, some parents or relatives are lost, but effective measures are not being taken to prevent it. Death is upon everyone. But only those who have lost a loved one or lost a limb in an accident know how hard this pain is. Many potential lives are lost prematurely. Therefore, along with social resistance against road crashes, we as pedestrians and passengers also need to be aware. Later, a rally started for the main road of the city.
