Commuters in Barisal and its adjoining areas had to suffer immensely after the Barisal Bus Owners-Workers Solidarity Association enforced a sudden 24-hour strike on Barisal-Dhaka route yesterday.
The strike, which began yesterday morning and is expected to end today, was called to demand compensation for the victims of a recent road accident which left 12 people dead and 22 others injured.
At the same time, most Barisal-bound passengers in the capital could not catch buses at the Gabtali and Sayedabad bus terminals due to the strike. Many passengers were forced to cancel their journeys or to use buses heading to other districts to reach their destinations.
During a visit to the Gabtali and Sayedabad bus terminals, the Dhaka Tribune found that every Dhaka-Barisal bus service had closed down and had already sold out advance tickets for Eid-ul-Fitr.
Farid Ahmed, a Barisal-bound passenger at Gabtali bus terminal, said: “I did not know about the strike. If I knew, I would have not started my journey today.”
“Bus authorities should inform the media before taking such measures,” he added, frustrated.
Abu Taleb, counter manager of Hanif Paribahan at Nathullabad Central Bus Stand in Barisal, said: “The day-long strike on the Barisal-Dhaka route has been continuing as per the decision of the central committee of the association.”
Md Kafiluddin, owner of Hanif Paribahan, said: “The incident was unwanted and shocking, but it was an accident. The company agreed to compensate the victims as per rules fixed by the government, not more than that.”
On July 11, at least 12 people were killed and 22 others injured when a Hanif Paribahan passenger bus plunged into a roadside ditch on the Barisal-Dhaka highway.
Earlier, a meeting decided that Hanif Paribahan would pay Tk60,000 to each of the families of the deceased, Tk25,000 to each of the injured victims, Tk40,000 to each of the owners of eight damaged three-wheelers, Tk15,000 to each of the owners of two damaged auto rickshaws, Tk10,000 to each of the owners of two damaged rickshaws, Tk5,000 to each of the owners of eight damaged shops and Tk30,000 for the treatment and burial costs of Alamgir Hossain, a rickshaw puller who succumbed to his injuries at DMCH.
BRTA chairman Nazrul Islam was unavailable via phone to comment about the issue.
