The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Road Security Council with Communications Minister Nazmul Huda in the chair.

The minister told the meeting that bus and truck owners would have to force their drivers to use seatbelts, or else, legal action would be taken against them.

The meeting decided that rickshaws and other non-motorised vehicles would gradually be made off-limits to major city streets and adequate government and non-governmental buses would be introduced to meet the requirement of the commuters. However, it did not set any timeframe.

It also directed Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Roads and Highways Department to properly execute the decisions.

Some mobile courts in coordination with the DMP, BRTA and environment department would begin work soon to seize vehicles that emit black smoke to pollute the environment.

The meeting was told that rickshawpullers would also be forced to ply rickshaws on lanes demarcated for them on various city streets and traffic police would take proper steps in case of violation of the directive.

It said the work of evicting huts, bazaars and illegal structures on all national and regional roads would be accelerated to restore discipline on the roads and highways.