Nearly 50 Volvo Buses are left unused at Pallabi Depot: National property is ruining
Bangladeshmoves Investigation, 7 November, 2010:
When lots of peoples are to wait in the long queue in the street and when single-decker buses are killing spaces making traffic congestions in the capital, 50 double deck Volvo buses are left unused under open sky at the BRTC bus depot at Pallabi justifying scarcity of spare parts for years should have been caught the attention of the concerned department, however, we have to sadly inform you that any concern with the problem has been by-passed by the concerned Minister himself and by spending a lot of money of the taxpayers of the country new buses are arranged to be imported from foreign countries. It is worthy mentionable that purchasing VOLVO buses during AL regime (1996-2001) by excessive price made them controversy. Yet, I am to say that during 4-party led GOB tenure since 2001, the service of Volvo was praiseworthy which we consider as better than nothing.
The quality of service of BRTC with Volvo buses has been started to be deteriorated since AL - led Government came to power years back. Automated Ticket Counter, a newly added feature, has not yet to set up even at the door of the Pallabi Bus depot ( Purobi and Mirpur sare Egaro) for the charisma of the unknown reason and in addition to the role of the private bus owners with the help of the local powerful political elite, the service of comparatively popular Volvo Buses might have been distressed which is discovered from a source and a matter to be investigated and at the end of the tunnel, we are to watch that those valuable buses are being dumped in the depot which now corroborates the claim that it has been done with the patron of the concerned Ministry. When country is now under economic recession and the country is chained by debt, how can it be justified to import lots of buses for the same route where Volvo buses are still useable just a slight repair?
Since it is a misuse of the national property done for the benefit of the foreigners during domestic economic recession this year, instead of saving foreign reserves for the benefit of the countrymen, importing such buses is quite a decision subversive to the interest of the state. It is requested to be investigated by the shadow Ministry of the opposition along with the Head of the State which might relief the festival of wasting national property which ultimately pushing the Dhaka-dwellers into trouble.
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VOLVO Bus: a plan to crash its service.
BM Investigation, 2 February, 2010:
Claim: Volvo bus is the popular and convenient public transportation service for Pallabi and Uttara Resident. To split the service and to introduce imported Indian buses many controversial steps are taken by BRTC authority. Those include:
• Nearly 17 Volvo buses are not repaired and are stored in the Mirpur -12 BRTC deport showing excuse that spare parts not available.
• Instead of delivering services to the local residents, these buses are rent to different institutions, for instance, Jahangirnagar University .
• The service for the Uttara Resident has been stopped and the tickets worth of 18 are sold in Pallabi-Motijheel route, just stamping Pallai( picture attached).
• Automated ticketing system has not been introduced from Pallabi- Mirpur -12 Deport.
• The fare from Pallabi –Motijheel is 18-16; on the other hand, the fare from Kazipara, Shewrapar is sanctioned 8-16 that is extra in comparison to the GOB fixed rate.
Major Finding: To make the service unpopular, the Deport authority start bus lately, some time TATA double Decker buses are pushed for the Volvo bus users by the same cost. It is noteworthy; the imported TATA buses have been leased to different institutions. Even with the aid of Progoti, no BRTC buses are introduced. To make the private buses, imported from India , these policies are practiced by the BRTC authority, a source added.
An accident and repairing in haste? The Volvo bus no. Dhaka Metro –BA- 11-1551 stamped a passer –by to death at Farmgate under Sher-e –Banglanagar Police Station. The field report for the dead was: Reference –CC 818/09(27/12/09), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. This reporter was the passenger of this bus and the number of the ticket borne includes 716020. Although the press release of PS was issued to different dailies but for personal interest the report was not published. Although that bus was arrested and taken by the tug- truck, the driver was managed to be escaped near the Bijoy Sarani Fountain. At that time sergeants picked their name from uniform and their names were not discovered. Most interestingly, the bus that was tugged, smashed and destroyed partly by the angry mob, repaired swiftly to wipe out any evidence that the drivers are/ and were ill motivated to unpopular the service. The reporter rode over the bus on 7/01/2010 the Ticket number was: 849837.
Remark: Dhaka dwellers are the most economically active part out of the whole population. Public Transportation is the input mechanism to accelerate to this speed. Unfortunately the Present Government is failure to tackle this. The above mentioned evidence supports my claims. It is hoped that GOB would urgently solve the problem.
Follow up October, 2010: No action has yet been taken to repair Volvo buses importing the spare parts and those expensive buses are under the roof at Pallabi -12 BRTC Bus stand till October, 2010, consequently lots of peoples have to suffer and single deck buses are causing congestion in the street, especially at the pick hour.