Dhaka: The WHO report that recently mentioned that around 21,316 people were killed in road accidents across Bangladesh in a year is unauthentic and imaginary one, said Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Qauder on Sunday.

‘WHO says over 21,000 people were killed in road accidents here [Bangladesh] in 2012. As per the report, about 59 people, on average, were killed a day. Is it imaginable?’ he questioned at a discussion in the capital.

The minister said maximum 10 people are killed in road accidents in the country a day. ‘Maximum 4,000 people died in road accidents a year. So, it’s an imaginary report.’

WHO estimated that 13.6 people are killed in road accidents in every one lakh population of Bangladesh while it sees about 1.6 percent of GDP loss due to road traffic crashes each year.

Road and Transport Programme and Advocacy for Social Change of Brac organised the policy dialogue titled ‘Legislative Initiative Promoting Road Safety’ at the city’s BRAC Centre Inn.

Speaking as the chief guest, Qauder said the government earlier identified some 144 accident-prone areas on highways across the country and it has already taken a project involving Tk 165 crore to cut road fatalities. ‘We hope the project will be completed in December next.’

He said the solution will not come by only resolving engineering problems on highways and roads, but it is urgent to change the mindset of people. ‘People are using roads at their sweat will occupying road space and installing makeshifts.’

The Road Transport Minister said the government upgraded the Nabinagar-Chandra Road to four-lane one, but half of it remains unused allowing people to occupy it. ‘We evict grabbers but they come back,’ he added.

He stressed the need for launching an awareness programme on road safety to minimise road accidents in the country, aiming to reduce the loss of lives and its aftermath.

About the city’s acute environmental problems and poor state of roads, Quader said Dhaka is one of the most unlivable cities in the world as it has been facing a number of problems, including severe traffic congestion and waterlogging.

‘It’s possible to repair all the roads of the city within three months and there’s no need for huge allocation,’ he said, adding that only an integrated step must be taken to do so.

Adviser to former caretaker government and executive chairperson of Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman made a power-point presentation at the progarmme on road safety with a focus on the proposed legislative initiatives.