A countrywide 24-hour transport strike, called by Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation on long-distance routes, left thousands of people in distress on Thursday.
The capital was almost disconnected from the country with no passenger being able to travel by road since 6am. In several districts, workers stopped vehicle movement on highways and even disallowed trucks and lorries to ply. Several auto-rickshaws were also vandalised in Sylhet.
The workers under the banner of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation went on the strike to call for the immediate release of Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, the federation’s central committee’s joint secretary and also a special assistant to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Their demands also included the arrest of the “perpetrators” who killed 27 drivers during the recent hartals and compensation for the victims’ family members.
Law enforcers arrested Biswas and Khaleda’s Advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo from outside her Gulshan residence in the capital on November 9 and accused them in two cases over the “attempted murder of police and involvement in violence in the capital.”
In the capital, no inter-district bus left from Gabtoli, Mohakhali or Sayedabad bus terminals, while no bus – except the night-coaches that started for the capital on Wednesday night – were able to enter the capital since on Thursday morning.
Transport workers reportedly took positions at the Mazar Road area near Gabtoli and on the Amin Bazar Bridge, as well as bringing out separate processions near the bus terminals.
The strike caused sufferings to the in-bound passengers, especially the students who will sit for on Friday’s admission tests at two public universities in the city.
A group of young men, who had to shift buses and walk with their luggage to enter the capital through the Amin Bazar Bridge, said they would sit for on Friday’s admission test at Dhaka University, but could not manage a direct bus to the capital from Rajbari.
Hundreds of commuters, particularly office-goers and students, also suffered a lot. Several passengers said they did not know about the strike.
The counter masters at Gabtoli and Sayedabad bus terminals passed the time lazily, with no bus company selling tickets for day or night coaches.
“We are selling tickets for Friday morning’s trips. Money of those who booked advance ticket for on Friday [Thursday] were refunded. Many passengers shifted their journey to Friday,” said Kabir Hossain, counter master of Shyamoli Paribahan at Kalyanpur bus stand.
Shakhawat Noor of Sugandha Pribahan at Sayedabad said they were able to start three morning buses for the southern districts, before some transport workers forced to close the counter.
The federation’s Gabtoli unit General Secretary Md Alauddin said they would not allow any bus to leave the terminal.
However, seeking anonymity, an owner of a bus company said those who were not “BNP-minded” or followers of Biswas, continued their trips from different places as they could not do so from Gabtoli.
Contacted, Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation’s General Secretary Osman Ali said tougher movements would be called if Biswas was not released within 24-hours.
Our Chittagong correspondent said no inter-district bus left the port city or the district’s 14 upazilas. The bus counters at different points of the port city were found closed.
A correspondent from Sylhet reported that workers vandalized at least 10 auto-rickshaws at Chandipur in the city. Police detained four people in this connection.
In Faridpur, no long-route bus left the district but operation on local routes stayed normal.
In Gazipur, no buses or trucks travelled on the road. Federation’s local leaders said Gazipur District Bus-Minibus Workers’ Union and District Truck, Pickup, Tank Lorry Drivers’ Union – had jointly decided to ply no vehicles in the district on Thursday.
In Satkhira, no buses traveled on the local eight routes.
Rajshahi also saw its local route bus services suspended. Leaders of the transport workers’ federation brought out a procession in the morning, and urged the government not to “harass” the transport leaders.
