Development of Transport System
Transport is a system in which passengers and goods move from one place to another. The history of the development of transport shows how people have been trying from pre-historic times to use more and more advanced types of transport, thereby replacing gradually the traditional means of carrying men and goods. Development of cheap and efficient means of transport is necessary for the progress of a large and developing country.
Ancient people were nomads. They used to travel on foot from place to place and carry their belongings themselves. They also knew how to use pack animals to carry loads. But with the passage of time people multiplied and their needs for movement multiplied too. In their efforts to find out quicker and easier means of transport, they invented the wheel which revolutionized the modes of carrying men and goods. In fact, the invention of wheel is a landmark in the history of human civilization. As a result of this invention they succeeded in making wheeled vehicles like carts and wagons for carrying goods and carriages for carrying people on land quickly and easily. They also made water transport like boats to be moved with paddles and barges and ships to the moved by sails.
Transport routes are the basic economic arteries of the country and that is why they are referred to as life line of the country. At a later stage knowledge of science and technology came in a big way to help them invent modern transport suitable for quicker and more comfortable movement of men and goods not only on land and sea but also in the air. No place on earth is any longer remote. A place which could not be reached before in six months can now be reached in six hours. Only a sixteen hours flight from Dhaka even by an ordinary commercial airliner can take you to London which is 9,600 km from Dhaka. The present transport system of the country comprises several modes of transport including rail, road, shipping, air transport etc. If you fly a Concord aeroplane you can now go half the world round in a matter of a few hours. This is the magic the modern mechanical transport is performing today. Nevertheless the traditional non-mechanical transport cannot be discarded altogether, for they are still very useful means of transport in many countries of the world. A well-knit and coordinated system of transport plays an important role in the sustained economic growth of the country.
The development of transport system takes place keeping pace wan development of human civilization. The Ministry of Transport is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes for the development of various modes of transport except railways and airways. Transportation system takes a new turn with the invention of wheels. As a result of this invention, wheeled vehicles like carts, wagons for carrying goods and carriages have been invented. Similarly water transports like boats, ships and barges have been made. At a later stage, the invention of aeroplane has brought the whole word together.
