The ongoing hartals, enforced by the BNP-led 20 party alliance, have severely affected international road and rail connectivity due to the violence on the roads and threat to safety.
Bus services are experiencing very low passenger turnout, thus prompting the suspension of bus services on international routes.
Shyamoli Paribahan of Bangladesh has indefinitely suspended its bus services from Dhaka to Agortala.
This decision was taken under a directive from the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC). A government official from Agartola has reportedly told Shyamoli Paribahan the ongoing and unrelenting violence in Bangladesh forced them to suspend the service.
Although the bus service still has two other services operating – the Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Shiliguri routes, passengers are backing out from traveling.
However, Railway Director General Amzad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “We did not take any decision to stop the service. But the bombings and fear of derailment have scared the passengers into dropping out.”
The railway line has been facing problems since the early days of the blockade programme. On January 8, the train carried a single passenger on its Kolkata-bound journey. There was a low turnout of passengers on other days as well.
Sources said, the services carried only 100 to 120 passengers each day for the last two weeks, despite the capacity of the train being of 650 passengers.
TRTC Managing Director RM Malakar has told reporters the Dhaka-Agortala bus service by Shyamoli had decreased frequency in January, coming down to three trips a week, due to security reasons. Now it has stopped completely.
Shyamoli Paribahan Manager Sagor Sarker however told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have stopped the Dhaka-Agortola services, but kept the Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Shiliguri services on schedule. They are moving with police escort.”
He added: “It will not be possible to restart the service unless the blockade and hartal programmes have been withdrawn.”
Ishwardy train fire
Meanwhile, following a bomb attack on Dhaka-bound Maitree Express Service near Ishwardy Rail Station, there was a six hour layover of the train at the station.
The Maitree Express that plies between Dhaka and Kolkata crosses Ishwardy in Pabna en route.
Blockade activists yesterday attacked the Maitree service around 3pm near Ishwardy Rail Station. Although it lit the train on fire, no one was injured.
Humayun Kabir, the Irshawardy railway station police officer in-charge, said: “Petrol bombs caused fire on the lower part of the train. Train assistants quickly used the fire extinguisher to douse the fire. The train then returned to Ishwardy station.”
