The communications ministry yesterday announced to initiate a drive to confiscate all unfit age-old public transport and remove them from the capital.

"We have decided to seize all over-20-years-old and unfit public vehicles and dump them in two designated places at Kanchpur and Khilkhet," Communications Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan said.

The announcement came following reports in The Daily Star yesterday.

Talking to The Daily Star at his office, the secretary said, "We have taken an aggressive action plan. We shall not compromise on this issue as it was done in the past."

When his attention was drawn to the fact, as reported, that owners of most of these unfit vehicles are powerful and have foiled any such drive in the past, he said, "We will consider the condition of the vehicles, not who own them.

"We will seize vehicles that may not be 20 years old but are still unfit for operating.

“We aim to remove all unfit vehicles from this city within the next two years," Mozammel said.

Expressing concerns about the rising trend of street accidents, he said, "We will simultaneously arrest drivers with fake driving licence and helpers-turned-drivers of buses or minibuses who do not have any papers."

The authorities will also strictly implement the existing Motor Vehicles Act, he noted, adding, "If necessary, we shall make the act tougher to make city roads safe and better."

As such drives will have widespread involvement of the authorities, including mobile courts, the communications ministry will hold meetings tomorrow with all deputy commissioners of Dhaka city to ensure availability of magistrates.

"To reduce driving risks, we shall ask the police to strictly implement the law to make wearing seat belts mandatory for drivers and car passengers," said Mozammel.

"The footpaths will be cleared of all kinds of junks and temporary shops to make room for pedestrians. The police will be asked to encourage people to use foot bridges," he added.

“We want to make the city roads look beautiful with vehicles that do not scare people," the secretary said.