Veteran actor and founder-chairman of Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa), Ilias Kanchan, has urged the people of Bangladesh to come forward and help advance the movement for safer roads. He also revealed that he is currently unwell and asked the people of the country to pray for his speedy recovery.

The government has asked the non-government organisations working on road safety to inform the authorities concerned before releasing data on road crashes and casualties.

On this week, 4 years ago, school and college students protested to ensure road safety for all.

The number of road crashes and deaths rose alarmingly last year, according to road safety campaign Nirapad Sarak Chai.

The number of road crashes and deaths saw a “alarming rise” last year compared to the previous year. At least 5,227 people were killed while 6,953 injured in 4,702 road accidents in 2019, Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa) said.

Students, different rights organisations and road safety campaigners yesterday expressed strong condemnation over the recent transport workers' strike, which resulted in the death of an infant, among other things.

Ilias Kanchan is a name known to us all, not only for his super-hit movies, but also for the road safety movement that he has been pioneering since the last two and a half decades. The National Film Award winner and Ekushey Padak awardee initiated his road safety movement 'Nirapad Sarak Chai' in 1993 after the death of his wife in a tragic road accident, and ever since he has been working relentlessly to improve the road safety situation of the country.