The Bangladesh government has decided to form a special unit called Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Police for the security of metro rail services. Following the decision, Dhaka Mass Transit Development Company Limited (DMTCL), under the Ministry of Road, Transport, and Bridges, has proposed police headquarters to form a new police force. The force will be deployed at central depots, all landing stations, and coaches of MRT to ensure the safety and security of the infrastructure and assets, as well as the service staff members and passengers availing MRT.
The directive of ensuring the safety of MRT came directly from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last September, who stressed on the need for the formation of a separate police unit for ensuring the security of the metro rail during a presentation in Gana Bhaban.
M.A.N Siddique, managing director DMTCL, said: “The police headquarters have already formulated the draft policy and organogram of the new police force and will submit it to the Ministry of Road, Transport, and Bridges.” A proposal regarding the MRT police was submitted by DMTCL to the police headquarters in September. The police headquarters sent a draft organogram and policy to the Home Ministry’s Public Security Division for forming the new unit. The division is now scrutinizing the draft for the formation of the new force.
The draft has been prepared following the security requirements given by DMTCL.
Public Security Division official said: “The special police unit will be needed to ensure the security of the metro rail service, which is likely to start in the capital from December 2021.”
The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police will be heading the proposed force, which will run under the Bangladesh Railway Police, a source from the home ministry confirmed to Dhaka Tribune. According to the draft, a total number of 1,038 posts so far have been created for MRT police. According to a Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP), DMTCL will construct six more metro rail routes in Dhaka by 2030, with a total length of 128.74km.
The MRT police will ensure the security of the entire metro rail in future. 5 million passengers will use the metro rail network per day.
