Gazipur students block highway for half fare in buses
Students of Safiuddin Sarker Academy and College block the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Tongi to press home their demand for half fare in buses, while police stand guard on Saturday, December 4, 2021 Dhaka Tribune
Raihanul Islam Akand, Gazipur
Publish : 03 Dec 2021, 05:58 PMUpdate : 04 Dec 2021, 03:37 PM
Students blocked a lane of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Tongi on Saturday demanding a 50% discount on bus fares, momentarily disrupting traffic movement towards Mymensingh.
Referring to bus owners’ decision to charge students in Dhaka city half fares, the protesters – students of Safiuddin Sarker Academy and College – said the same must be ensured throughout the country.
The students studying at educational institutes outside Dhaka should not be treated differently, they said.
The demonstrators blocked the highway at 10:30am and left the place half an hour later after being assured by senior police officials that the government would soon resolve the issue.
Tongi West Police Station OC Shah Alam said traffic on the lane is normal now.
After a long standoff with the government, bus owners on November 30 finally agreed to cut fares by half for students travelling on buses, but only in Dhaka city.
The announcement followed students categorically rejecting the discriminatory decision and staging a demonstration outside the BRTA office the same day.
They said they would continue protesting until the government issued a gazette meeting their nine-point demand, including halving fares for students on all public transports across the country.
On November 3, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk15 per litre, prompting transport owners to enforce an indefinite strike in the country on November 7 demanding a hike in bus fares.
Amid the woes of the public caused by the strike, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) raised the fares of city service and long-haul buses by more than 25%.
Following the fare hike, students started demonstrating on the streets of Dhaka demanding half fares on public transports.
The student protests gained traction with the added demand for road safety following the death of a Notre Dame College Student on November 24.
Since then demonstrators have been blockading different streets and intersections of the city to press home their demands.
On November 29, another student, who took the SSC exams this year, was run over and killed by a bus in Dhaka’s Rampura.
The incident prompted an agitated mob to torch at least eight buses in the area, and further stoked concerns over reckless driving and safety on roads.
Gazipur students block highway for half fare in buses
Students blocked a lane of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Tongi on Saturday demanding a 50% discount on bus fares, momentarily disrupting traffic movement towards Mymensingh.
Referring to bus owners’ decision to charge students in Dhaka city half fares, the protesters – students of Safiuddin Sarker Academy and College – said the same must be ensured throughout the country.
The students studying at educational institutes outside Dhaka should not be treated differently, they said.
The demonstrators blocked the highway at 10:30am and left the place half an hour later after being assured by senior police officials that the government would soon resolve the issue.
Tongi West Police Station OC Shah Alam said traffic on the lane is normal now.
After a long standoff with the government, bus owners on November 30 finally agreed to cut fares by half for students travelling on buses, but only in Dhaka city.
The announcement followed students categorically rejecting the discriminatory decision and staging a demonstration outside the BRTA office the same day.
They said they would continue protesting until the government issued a gazette meeting their nine-point demand, including halving fares for students on all public transports across the country.
On November 3, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk15 per litre, prompting transport owners to enforce an indefinite strike in the country on November 7 demanding a hike in bus fares.
Amid the woes of the public caused by the strike, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) raised the fares of city service and long-haul buses by more than 25%.
Following the fare hike, students started demonstrating on the streets of Dhaka demanding half fares on public transports.
The student protests gained traction with the added demand for road safety following the death of a Notre Dame College Student on November 24.
Since then demonstrators have been blockading different streets and intersections of the city to press home their demands.
On November 29, another student, who took the SSC exams this year, was run over and killed by a bus in Dhaka’s Rampura.
The incident prompted an agitated mob to torch at least eight buses in the area, and further stoked concerns over reckless driving and safety on roads.