All highways, roads to come under video surveillance

The government is going to bring all the highways and main regional roads of the country under video surveillance to curb crimes, particularly robbing and stealing of export goods from transport. 

Many vehicles carrying RMG products, meant for export, came under attacks by robbers and thieves on the way to Chattogram Port.

Law enforcers arrested many such criminals, but they returned to their old jobs after being released on bail.

Following the repeated thefts and robberies of export goods on the highways, the government has decided to do so, sources said.

The matter was already discussed in a meeting of Home Ministry. The ministry will soon hold another meeting with senior police officers and delegates of transport owners and leaders, the sources have said.

The sources said the project the government took earlier to bring the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway under the CCTV cameras was going ahead.

The CCTV cameras are being installed in 250 kilometres (from Signboard in Narayanganj to Chattogram city gate) on the highway.

The cameras will be controlled and monitored from Highway Police and Monitoring Centre at Meghna Ghat, the sources said.

When contacted, Additional SP of Highway Police Ruhul Amin confirmed that the installation work of CTTV cameras on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway was going on.

He said that all the highways would gradually be brought under the CTTV cameras.

Wishing anonymity, a senior officer at Highway Police said, “The safety of export goods is necessary as it relates to our country’s image and economy. So, the government is going to bring the highways and main regional roads under video surveillance.”

“To protect lives and goods, the Highway Police has taken different initiatives. The Dhaka-Chattogram Highway will come under the scanner of the police unit after installation of the CCTV cameras.”

The officer said they are hopeful of launching all the cameras in June.

With the cameras, artificially intelligence software would be used to identify criminals quickly.

Jafor Ahmed Chowdhury, general secretary of Bangladesh Covered Van-Truck-Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association, said that the safety on the highways and zonal roads was a must.    They talked to the government several times over the issue.

With the video surveillance on the highways, the existing law should be amended to increase punishment for those involved in stealing and robbing export goods.

He urged the government to amend the law as the general theft or robbery and export goods looting were not the same offences.

After stealing or robbing export goods, the criminals came out on bail and returned to the crimes again.

So, the law should be strict much more for such criminals.

“We will discuss the matter with the home minister to take initiative to amend the law so that the criminals do not get bail,” he said.