Applications seeking renewal of fitness certificates for vehicles have marked a 40 per cent rise over the past few days, official figures showed.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), this rise in the entries has been due to the recent student movement for road safety.
Applications for learner's permits and driving licences also rose more than 50 per cent and 30 per cent respectively from August 01 to 08, it revealed.
Reports say that as many as 55,000 vehicles are without fitness certificates for more than a decade across the country.
Of them, 3,740 belong to different government ministries, departments and agencies.
The FE correspondent made a spot visit to the office of the watchdog in the capital's Mirpur area on Thursday.
Hundreds of transport owners and drivers were seen thronging the BRTA office rooms to collect licences and other valid papers.
Different professionals, including lawmakers and public servants, gathered there, thus putting extra pressure on the staffers of the transport regulator.
A large numbers of vehicles also stood in long queues for having their fitness tested.
A total of 3,945 people applied for provisional licences in the last eight days.
Sources said 1,300 people also received regular driving licences.
Usually, some 200 people get licences a month.
More than 700 vehicles got fitness certificates per day in July, but it rose to more than 1200 to date.
A total of 5,500 vehicles had their fitness certificates renewed from August 01 to 08.
Also, 170 to180 people received licences over the week, but the number was 60 to 70 last month.
Saddam, a driver of Raida Paribahan, came to the office for getting his vehicle's fitness certificate renewed the same day.
"I had to wait for hours since 10:00am," said Mr Saddam who is in his twenties.
Saju, who drives a bus of Akik Paribahan, said he faced no procedural problem for the renewal of the fitness certificate.
"The authorities gave us a congenial atmosphere to complete the official procedure for getting fitness certificate renewed," he told the FE.
Forty-year-old private car driver Sumon came to the office for renewal of his driving licence.
Abul Kalam, a driver of CNG-run three-wheeler, said his driving licence expired few months ago.
He came to the office for the renewal of his driving licence, he told the FE.
BRTA deputy director Masud Alam said officials are working hard to tackle the situation, thanks to the student movement for smooth transport service.
"Our employees are now doing office 9:00am to 9:00pm. Even we are working on Saturdays," he added.
Mr Alam said the BRTA isdealing firmly with brokers, touts and frauds. A BRTA mobile team is vigilant to nab the cheats.
