87 AC buses to hit city streets

DHAKA, July 3: Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will start operating 87 air-conditioned buses in the capital during the month of Ramadan, says the Communications Minister.

Obaidul Quader told a meeting on Wednesday that 87 buses joined the fleet of the state-owned transport corporation and would start plying on the city roads before Eid-ul-Fitr in early August.

He hoped that the crisis in the public transport sector would ‘ease a bit’.

About the import of new taxicabs, the minister said eight companies expressed their intent. “After scrutinising the bids, the selected companies will be given clearance this month for placing the order.”

He said the number of taxicabs to be procured would be based on the capacity of the companies and their fulfilling the conditions set in the deal.

Quader was speaking at the meeting that reviewed pre-Eid and repairs of roads across the country during monsoon and works of other important projects undertaken by the ministry.

He said though most of the roads were in better condition there were problems with some because of the low-standard repairs.

Blaming the engineers for the problems, he said: “(I) can trust very few people here.”

Admitting that the roads had not been repaired as expected, the minister said: “It’s not fair to make money swindling the people. Why should the engineers lie?”

Addressing the engineers, he said: “Is making money your only goal? Why don’t you do your job properly? Why is your greed not controlled? The greed of some people has exceeded the limit.”

Claiming that he did not take ‘any commission or percentage’, the minister told the engineers: “Please do your job well in the next few months.”

He, however, observed that not all the engineers were corrupt. “Had all of them done low-standard work, (road) condition would not have improved.”