Thousands of people suffered as transport owners and workers observed a 24-hour wildcat strike in Sunamganj yesterday, demanding fulfillment of their five-point charter, including tracing out a missing driver.
During the strike, vehicular movement on five routes remained suspended from 6am to 6pm.
No buses left central bus terminals of the district town and came to the district as transport workers kept tough watchfulness on transport movements that left thousands of people in misery.
Local people said transport scarcity caused untold sufferings to the passengers who did not know about the strike.
In a visit to bus terminal, this correspondent found that hundreds of people were waiting to go to their destinations while many people returned back to their work places as well as homes after finding no modes of transport.
Abul Kashem, a resident of Netrakona, went to the district to visit one of his relatives’ resident, and could not return as he found no transport.
He said, “I was not aware of the situation. Had I known, I would not come here.”
Jhorna Begum, a housemaid, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday afternoon that she had been waiting for transport at the bus terminal for the last five to six hours.
“God knows when I will get a bus,” she lamented.
Fulbanu, a Dawlatpur village resident under Sadar upazila of the district, said she had come to the district to visit a doctor, but she could not return back home for lack of vehicles.
Mohammad Abdul Hamid, a carpenter, said he could not go to his workplace at Jagganathpur of the district for non-availability of transport.
General Secretary of District Workers’ Union Md Nurul Hoque said: “All type of vehicular movement have been suspended from district sadar to five upazilas, including Jamalganj and Dowarabazar.”
“The vehicular movement in Sunamganj-Sylhet road is also suspended,” he added.
The workers’ leader also threatened to declare tougher programmes if Rezaul was not traced soon.
Earlier, private car driver Rezaul Hoque Sohel went missing while going to Sylhet on May 4.
After the incident, transport leaders and workers submitted memorandum to district administration demanding measures to trace Rezaul.
Their other demands include renovation of central bus terminal.