Due to the transport strikes called in Barisal and Patuakhali ahead of BNP's divisional rally, Kuakata Beach is now barren of tourists.
Since the Padma Bridge was inaugurated, Kuakata has been filled with local and foreign tourists on Fridays and Saturdays, but this is the first time the place is empty.
Motaleb Sharif, general secretary of Kuakata Hotel Motel Owners Association said that not even 20% of the usual amount of tourists are present in Kuakata right now.
A hotel manager of the area said they did not even manage to sell Tk5,000 worth of food since morning. “We have only been able to sell to customers who were already in Kuakata before the strike began. No new customers are available now.”
Meanwhile, Barisal city has virtually been cut off from rest of the country after the two-day transport strike got underway on Friday.
Buses, launches, speedboats, microbuses and even the three-wheeler auto-rickshaws are unavailable.
Residents of Patuakhali are also suffering since Friday morning as Bus and Minibus Owners' Association announced a strike demanding to ban three-wheelers on highways. Bus services on the Dhaka-Kuakata highway, including internal routes, have been suspended.
District Bus-Minibus Owners Association President Riaz Uddin Mridha said that three-wheelers are prohibited from using the highway, according to the High Court. Until these three-wheelers are taken off the road by the administration, transportation will be halted.
BNP will hold a divisional mass meeting in Barisal on Saturday. The leaders of the party claimed that this strike has been called to thwart their mass meeting.