The fifth spell of 83-hour blockade enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance entered third day on Monday.
The opposition has called the fresh blockade programme before the fourth spell ended on Friday morning. The fresh spell will end at 5pm Tuesday.
The last two days of road, rail and waterways blockade passed almost peacefully across the country.
The flow of vehicles on highways and the capital’s streets returned to almost normal, the second day of the opposition’s 83-hour blockade programme.
An increased number of inter-city and intra-city passenger buses were seen operating on the streets and highways under police protection.
Army was also seen providing security and guidance for smooth vehicular movement in some places, including Jatrabari in the capital and Mirersarai in Chittagong.
Transport workers, however, said the presence of passengers had been thin. Visiting three major bus terminals in the capital, a handful of buses were found leaving the capital.
But few long-route buses left the capital because of the absence of passengers and support. Many passengers were apprehensive about boarding a bus despite their urgency.
A nine-member monitoring cell has been formed to ensure smooth bus transit under Deputy Inspector General of Highway Police Asaduzzaman.
The team will instruct local administrations accordingly in case of any emergency. Private bus services and that of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation will start operating from Monday across the country except a few districts such as Bogra, Rajshahi and Sirajganj.
BRTC Chairman Jashim Uddin Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that the corporation had made the decision at a meeting of the communication ministry.
Asaduzzaman, the DIG of highway police, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were ready to provide foolproof security to buses that left the capital.
The opposition alliance has been enforcing back-to-back blockades since November 26, a day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls.
The alliance has been demanding the suspension of the election schedule, installation of a non-party polls-time government and the release of its leaders.
At least 115 people were killed and more than a thousand, including law enforcers, were injured in violence from November 25 to December 18.
Amid the prevailing ambience of skepticism within the party regarding the success of the ongoing movement, main opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia is likely to announce “noncooperation” programmes in her much hyped press conference Tuesday.
To break the political deadlock, many national and international organisations and representatives of foreign countries took many initiatives but all efforts apparently went in vain.
As part of the move, UN special envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco visited Bangladesh and brought the leaders of ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP into a dialogue table.
Two meetings between AL and BNP were held in the capital under his initiative while another meeting was held after he returned to the UN.
In the third meeting, both AL and BNP agreed to sit for the fourth round of meeting over proposals they had placed for each other in the last meeting.
However, till now, no meeting schedule has been set and there is thin hope over next talks as the ruling ministers are saying that they are holding talks for the 11th parliamentary election, not for the 10th. In the meantime, some 154 candidates have won the 10th parliamentary elections uncontested.
The Election Commission declared January 5, next for holding the 10th parliamentary polls.
On Friday last, the EC has decided to deploy the members of Armed Forces Division from December 26 to maintain law and order of the country before and after the polls. However, BNP declared to resist the polls anyway.
