DHAKA, Aug 04, 2018 (BSS) – Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today urged the protesting students to remain alert so that no vested quarter can take any advantage capitalizing on their non-political movement.
“The students should remain alert against the vested quarters who have extended support to the students’ movement politically and attempted to catch fish in muddled water for creating an unstable situation in the country as they have failed to wage their own movement,” he said.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, came up with the remarks at a press conference at AL president’s political office in Dhanmodi here after a meeting of the Awami League secretariat.
Urging the students to return to their respective classes, he said the government has taken initiatives to implement the nine-point demand, raised after a road accident which left two students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin School dead on the spot.
“We have found logic behind the students’ nine-point demand. The process of implementation has started,” said the AL general secretary.
Police have arrested the drivers involved in the accident and the owner of the bus, he said, adding the legal procedures are going on.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has provided financial assistance of Taka 20 lakh each to the two victims’ families, he added.
Quader said the victims’ families also urged the students to return home calling off the movement.
The government has also taken initiatives to construct underpasses as per the demand of the protesting students. The responsibility has been given to the Engineering Corps of army and the design has already been completed, he said.
He said there is no need to call tender as the work will be held through DPP.
Besides, Quader said, the government has taken initiatives to construct modern speed breakers through ramble stick system and steps have been taken to deploy traffic police in front of schools and colleges.
He said the proposed Road Transport Act will be placed before the next cabinet meeting on Monday for approval and it is expected to be passed in the next session of parliament.
“I hope that the act will be passed keeping the highest punishment,” the AL general secretary added.
Mentioning the cancelation of the route permit of the Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan bus, Quader said it is not possible to cancel the route permits of all unfit vehicles within next 24 hours as the BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority) has no such manpower which will be needed for this.
Earlier the BRTA had only one executive magistrate, he said, adding now there are five executive magistrates there and the government will implement the students’ demands in this regard as soon as possible.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already directed to take action against the drivers who have no license.
The executive magistrates have begun their works to cancel the route permits of the unfit vehicles.
Mentioning another demand of the students, Quader said the shipping minister has already sought apology.
Noting the speeches of BNP, the minister said, political intruders have been infiltrating into the peaceful movement of the students.
Vested quarters have extended support to the students’ movement politically and attempts have been made to transform the student movement into anti-government movement, he said.
Showing some photos of protest, Quader claimed that the protesters are from a political party.
He said, “We are closely watching their movements and suspecting their links to the ongoing demonstration.”
AL joint general secretaries Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni and Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Organizing Secretaries Ahmad Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and AKM Anamul Haque Shamim, Office Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan, Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashim Kumar Ukil and Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, among others, were present in the press conference.