DHAKA, May 4 (V7N) — Road Transport, Bridges, and Railways Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam today called upon Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to play a more proactive role in bringing discipline to the transport sector and accelerating the implementation of national development projects.

The Minister made the remarks during a media briefing following his participation in the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
Field-Level Implementation and Land Acquisition

Minister Rabiul emphasized that the success of the central government's plans rests on the effective execution by field-level administrators.

Progress Report: He cited the Dhaka–Sylhet highway as a success story of recent coordination, noting that project progress has jumped from a stagnant 20% to approximately 46%.

Land Obstacles: Land acquisition remains a primary bottleneck for infrastructure projects. The Minister directed DCs to expedite these processes to ensure projects are completed within their stipulated deadlines.

Restoring Road Discipline

The Minister identified several irregularities that continue to plague national highways and regional roads:

Illegal Occupations: Instructions were given to clear illegal structures, markets, and makeshift cattle haats from roadsides.

Operational Hazards: The Minister highlighted the dangers of overloaded vehicles, illegal billboards, and the "uncontrolled" installation of speed breakers.

Three-Wheelers: While acknowledging the difficulty of an immediate total ban on three-wheelers due to local realities, he stated that the government is moving toward a phased control plan for highways.

Railway Safety and River Protection

In his capacity as the Railways Minister, Rabiul addressed critical safety concerns:

Train Safety: Measures are being prioritized to prevent accidents at railway crossings and curb the dangerous trend of stone-throwing at moving trains.

Encroachment: He urged DCs to increase efforts to keep rivers and government-owned land free from illegal encroachment.

Eid-ul-Azha Readiness and Anti-Extortion

With the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha festival in mind, the Minister detailed steps to manage the festive rush:

Traffic Monitoring: The installation of CCTV cameras on national highways has commenced and will be expanded to regional roads to monitor traffic and accidents.

Zero Tolerance for Extortion: "Extortion is a crime," the Minister declared, asserting that law enforcement agencies have been given strict orders to take action against any such activity on roads or waterways.

Concluding the session, Minister Rabiul reiterated that restoring order in the transport sector is impossible without the "active cooperation" and field-level leadership of the Deputy Commissioners.

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