Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said there is little scope for waiving tolls on bridges under the Road Transport and Highways Division and the Bridges Division, as toll collection is governed by policy and revenue regulations rather than ministerial discretion.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday in response to a Rule 71 notice raised by reserved seat BNP MP Shacot Ara Akter, the minister said the ministry has limited authority to suspend toll collection or exempt users based on requests from members of parliament.
"We have a policy for collecting bridge tolls. There is very little scope for the ministry to stop toll collection or waive tolls at the request or recommendation of MPs," he said.
Shaikh Rabiul Alam acknowledged that many lawmakers had pledged during election campaigns to abolish bridge tolls.
"Most of us who were elected as members of parliament promised before the election that bridge tolls would be waived, perhaps to build public support," he said.
He explained that although the ministry is responsible for constructing and managing bridges, toll collection falls under revenue administration and is regulated by the finance authorities.
"The Ministry cannot abolish revenue collection, nor can any member of parliament do so. Without revenue collection, even this Parliament would not be able to function due to a lack of funds," he said.
The minister said proposals from MPs who had made such commitments to voters could be discussed with the Finance Division to determine whether any concessions were possible. However, he stressed that any exemption would require a policy decision.
Responding to demands for additional stoppages of intercity trains, Shaikh Rabiul Alam said train stops are determined under established policy guidelines rather than election pledges.
"If trains are made to stop everywhere, they will cease to be intercity services and effectively become local trains," he said.
On requests for four-lane roads in different constituencies, the minister said road expansion decisions are based on technical assessments, including traffic volume, passenger demand and freight movement, rather than political commitments.
"We believe two-lane roads are sufficient at the district level. As for national highways where there is demand for four-lane roads, those projects are already under planning," he added.
