Sylhet Bureau

A massive human chain programme has been held to prevent frequent road accidents on Ambarkhana-Bholaganj highway, the most important Road of Sylhet. The human chain was held on the Ambarkhana-Bholaganj highway near Salutikar Bazar on Tuesday.

Abdul Hakim Chowdhury, the former chairman of Goainghat Upazila Parishad, said in the speech of the chief guest at the human chain, "Every day lives are falling on the Ambarkhana-Bholaganj highway. Every day there are pictures of gruesome corpses in the newspapers. The news of death in this road accident seems to have become familiar to us. As a result, even if life is lost on the road every day, it does not make our mind emotional. The screams of the relatives of the deceased shook the sky and air, but it could not shake our conscience. But do we think for once about the families of the victims? Can they forget the loss of their relatives? The man who was the sole support of the family, his death in a road accident shatters all the dreams, hopes and aspirations of the other members of the family. Their future becomes uncertain.

Goainghat Upazila Awami League Organizing Secretary and Nandirgaon Union Parishad Chairman Alhaj S Kamrul Hasan Amirul, Goainghat Press Club President MA Matin, Cultural Affairs Secretary of Upazila Awami League Mahbubur Rahman Ripon, Nandirgaon Union Jubo League Convener Bidhan Chand, Joint Convenor Michbah spoke as special guests in the human bandh. Ahmad, Sohan Dey, President of Salutikar Bazaar Traders Association Shams Uddin, prominent businessmen Haji Farid Ahmad, Haji Rafiq Ahmad, Zafur Mia, Ibrahim Ali, Ziaul Haque Zia, Bilal Uddin Chowdhury, Alazur Rahman, Salim Ahmad, Arif Mahmud Shaheen, Saju Ahmad also attend here.

Speakers in the human chain said that the causes of the accident on the Ambarkhana-Bholaganj highway are more or less known to everyone. Driver's carelessness, unawareness, reckless or uncontrolled speeding, faulty driving is one of the causes of road accidents. Apart from this, drivers often drive in a tired state, as a result of which they sometimes lose control without realizing it and cause road accidents. So drivers should be aware of this.

Never drive when sick or tired. Everyone needs adequate sleep and rest. Overtaking tendency is one of the causes of road accidents. Usually slower cars on the road need overtaking. At this time, the car in front has to signal by sounding the horn. But many times one tries to overtake the other without signaling, resulting in a head-on collision where the vehicle coming from the front is unable to get out. So you should overtake carefully following the correct rules.

Movement of fast moving vehicles as well as slow moving vehicles. Road accidents also occur due to violation of traffic laws. So we need to improve our traffic control system. The Ambarkhana-Bholaganj road-highway should be brought under digital surveillance.

Coordinated initiatives are needed to prevent road accidents. Government, drivers, owners, workers and passengers should all be alert and aware - remember, life is more valuable than time.