Ehsanul Haque Jasim :Thousands of commuters on Sunday faced untold sufferings due to a sudden transport strike in the capital. The public buses remained off the city roads from noon due to the strike. The sudden strike was called in the city, particularly in the Mirpur route, as many vehicle operators in the city were adamant to charge extra fares from the passengers than the rate fixed by the government. The transport workers resorted to the strike following imposition of cases and fine on different vehicle operators and transport workers at Mirpur and some other parts in the city for charging extra fares and other irregularities. The transport strike continued till the evening. It was, however, withdrawn by the Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity after 5:00 PM. Khandaker Enayetullah Khan, secretary general of the platform, said that they withdrew the strike following assurance of Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). “Transport workers went for the strike as their instant reaction against the sentences of the mobile court. We had urged the government not to convict the transport owners and workers instantly so that the alternative action can be taken against them. The Minister and the BRTA Chairman assured us to meet the demand,” he said. The people, however, faced sufferings on the city roads even hours after withdrawal of the strike. Heavy rush of passengers were seen at different bus stoppage point during the strike. Having no other alternatives, helpless commuters opted for rickshaw and CNG-run auto-rickshaws or walking. Following the price hike of power and gas, the government increased the fares of bus and minibuses by 10 paisa per kilometre in Dhaka and Chittagong cities and other areas under Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Authority (DTCA). But many vehicle operators have not been following the revised fare chart. After receiving complaints from the passengers, the government has decided to introduce mobile courts. Earlier, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that the mobile court would be conducted to control the extra charges. The Minister himself said that some 40 percent public buses were charging additional fares after the hike of the fares by 10 paisa per kilometre from October 1 last. According to revised chart introducing by the BRTA, bus fare has been raised to Tk 1.70 per kilometre from the past Tk 1.60 while the new fare for minibuses is Tk 1.60 has been fixed for per kilometre from Tk 1.50. The government directed the vehicle operators to put the bus fare list on display inside the vehicles.Following the government’s decision, the mobile court of the BRTA conducted courts in Mirpur and some other parts in the city on Sunday morning. The court convicted a bus driver for one-month imprisonment at Taltola area. Police said that the court convicted the driver for not having license and other necessary documents.The mobile court lodged 15 cases and fined Tk 13,400 for charging extra fares, not for displaying the fare list on vehicle display and other irregularities. At the time, the mobile court seized two CNG-run auto-rickshaws and a Leguna for irregularities. After introducing the revised fare chart, mobile courts of the BRTA lodged 54 cases and fined different vehicle operators a total of Tk 64,700 in a day on October 4 in the capital for charging extra fares and other irregularities. Some transport workers said that although the price hike of power and gas has been increased and the bus fare has been re-fixed, many passengers are not interested to pay the increased fare. They have to face quarrel with the passengers, they said.
