Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said driving licence issuance will begin in the last week of February.
“Printing of the draft of licence has already begun. As per the agreement, the standard of cards (licences) and its printing quality must be ensured,” he told a view-exchange meeting with officials of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) through videoconferencing from his official residence.
Quader, also the General Secretary of ruling Awami League, said there will be no compromise with the quality of the cards, and the secretary of the ministry concerned and the BRTA chairman should monitor the process of the licence issuance with special importance.
He said momentum must be brought in issuing driving licences by bringing cards from suppliers and end the waiting of licence seekers.
Instructing the BRTA officials to enhance service quality of the government agency and use digital technology in its services to cut public sufferings, the road transport minister said the image of the BRTA is being tarnished due to only a few people involved in irregularities.
“You all (BRTA officials) must get out of the circle of irregularity,” he added.
Asking the BRTA authorities to strengthen surveillance of magistrates to catch brokers, Quader said the BRTA must be built as a service-oriented agency preventing rampant activities of brokers.
He asked the BRTA chairman to stop the circle of irregularities and presence of brokers with an iron hand and to take steps against the BRTA officials involved in lobby trade.
Noting that the fitness of a vehicle is very important and that is why the issuance of fitness certificates is made easy and it is being issued from the BRTA’s circle offices, the minister said earlier the fitness certificates were given for one year, but now those are being issued for two years.
Service recipients can deposit their motor vehicle fees at more than 400 branches and booths of 18 bankers, he added.