DHAKA: The High Court ordered bus companies to appoint drivers on monthly wages and give up the practice of making payments on daily or trip basis within six months in a bid to prevent road accidents.
In the full verdict of Rajib Hasan compensation case, the HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the orders.
Earlier on April 3, 2018, Rajib Hasan, a third-year student of Government Titumir College, lost a hand after it got stuck between two speeding buses trying to overtake each other in the capital's Bangla Motor area.
He succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on April 17
On April 4, Supreme Court lawyer barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal filed a writ petition with the High Court.
Later on May 8, An HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Jahirul Haque ordered the owners of BRTC and Sajan Paribahan to pay Tk one crore to two brothers of Rajib.
However, compensation of Tk 25 lakh from each owner was asked to pay within one month.
But, on May 10, BRTC submitted a petition to the concerned branch of Appellate Division to stay the order of Tk 25 lakh compensation.
On May 13, the Appellate Division Chamber Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui sent the petition to regular bench of the Appellate for hearing on May 17.
Then on May 22, 2018, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stayed a High Court order that earlier directed authorities to compensate two brothers of Rajib with Tk one crore.
A 4-member panel, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order.
The court also directed the authorities concerned to form an investigation committee, to find out the bus responsible for the accident.
The court also asked the authority to submit the probe report to High Court by June 30.
Afterwards, the HC formed an independent committee to find out the bus responsible for the accident.
On May 30, the HC formed a three-member committee to figure out who is responsible between two bus authorities and to determine compensation in a case filed over the death of Titumir College student Rajib Hossain following an accident.
The committee was asked to submit the report by 30 June. The court fixed July 4 for the next order.
Director of Accident Research Institute under Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Moazzem Hossain was made head the 3-member committee while two other members are a lecturer of Civil Engineering Department of BUET, former film actor and also the chairman of Nirapod Sarak Chai (NISCHA) Ilias Kanchan.
Later on June 20, 2019, the High Court ordered two bus companies to give Tk 50 lakh in damages to the family of Government Titumir College student Rajib Hasan within two months.
The court also issued some directives to ensure the safety of passengers. Of directives, four require immediate implementation and others in six months to curb road accidents across the country and restore traffic discipline.
Four directives include prohibiting blowing horns near hospitals, educational institutions and residential areas, keeping doors of running buses closed and picking no passengers except at the bus stoppages and holding random dope tests and sight tests before issuing and renewing driving licences of drivers and checking their relevant documents.
The other directives include stopping picking up passengers from the middle of the road, dope tests for drivers, not allowing vehicles other than ambulance and fire service to use horns near schools, colleges, hospitals and residential areas, and implementing the Road Safety Act 2018 within six months, appointing bus drivers on monthly wages, banning the existing practice of hiring drivers on daily or trip basis by the transport companies, installing maximum number of close-circuit cameras on major roads, especially at strategic locations in all the metropolitan cities to facilitate traffic management and investigations and rationalization of bus routes.
The directives also require zone wise colouring buses in cities and bringing all bus companies of each zone under one company in all the metropolitan cities.
BDST: 1443 HRS, SEP 15, 2019
RS/SMS
