RTHD sends back DMTCL’s draft law, seeks total control over metro rail

Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), aiming to take total control over the city's metro rails, has drafted the amendment of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Act 2015.

However, the Road Transport and Highway Division (RTHD) on Tuesday sent it back to the DMTCL for further explanation.

The necessity to amend scopes of the Act does not raise questions, including provisions concerned with underground metro rails, sources said. But, the official draft amendment sent by DMTCL, kept provision to get total indemnity for all kinds of activities concerning the metro rail.

Consultant sources said there is no such example in the world that MRT or metro rail company carries all kinds of policy, planning, execution, regulatory, licensing and safety certification works.

In January, 2015, the previous amendment of the Act by Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the regulatory and policy level authority of the city's all kinds of transports, was approved in the parliament.

The latest amendment also kept DTCA as the provision's authority, replacing DMTCL, but officials of the DTCA said they have not been informed about it.

"We have shared the Act with the government. It will take the decision," DMTCL Acting Managing Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said in reply to the question of DMTCL's right to amend the act bypassing DTCA.

"For the sake of the country, we have proposed the amendment to make its trouble free and speedy and easy," he added.

He also said that due to not having the provision of underground in the MRT Act, Japan International Cooperation Agency has not been agreeing to proceed with one of their contracts for MRT 1.

The first metro rail has been developed with the support of Japanese experts, all of whom also supported the formulation of the MRT Act.

The DMTCL was formed as a state owned company under the article of memorandum and articles in 2013 comprising mandates to plan, implement, operate and maintain the MRTs.

DMTCL has been developing six MRTs in the city's different corridors, of which elevated MRT 6 has been under operation from Uttara to Motijheel. The MRT 1 and MRT 5 North have been at different stages of implementation. The MRT 2 and 4 are still in pre-feasibility study.