Staff Reporter :
After a meeting of transport owners-workers with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, it was decided to withdraw the strike but workers have continued to enforce the strike in several districts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday.
Despite the government’s assurance of meeting their demands of amending the road transport law, the workers have kept the strike on in several districts. No long route buses left from Khulna, Satkhira, Narail, Jessore, Rajbari, Naogaon, Sherpur, Faridpur and Chuadanga yesterday.
As a result, passengers in different parts of the country have been facing immense sufferings. Even owing to the transport crisis, bus fares have also been hiked illegally.
However, in some districts limited bus services have been started.
In Khulna, bus services remained suspended for the fourth day yesterday with transport workers still observing strike. No local or long route buses left the terminals on Thursday.
Khulna Motor Workers Union Assistant Secretary Md Ziaur Rahman Mithu said that a decision over the strike would be reached after a meeting on Thursday.
In Shariatpur, passengers are suffering greatly as buses in the long routes have not resumed operations. Services are likely resume on Friday.
In Tangail, President of District Bus-Minibus Owners Association Khandaker Iqbal Hossain said that the workers federation is scheduled to meet on Thursday after which a decision will be reached.
In Kurigram, bus workers attacked battery-run auto-rickshaws that passengers were resorting to in order to reach their destinations.
Kurigram sadar police OC Mahfuzur Rahman said that police have been dispatched to bring the situation under control.
In Jamalpur, transport workers are still observing strike with many obstructing movement of vehicles in the Jamalpur-Tangail route.
In Dinajpur, transport workers went into work abstention again from 11:00am on Thursday halting bus movement to five other districts.
It is to be noted that transport owners and workers had enforced the indefinite strike, defying Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader’s call for them to refrain from such programmes centering the new transport law.
In Sherpur, no long haul buses and goods-laden vehicles were seen plying on the road in the district since morning.
Earlier, agitating transport owners and workers withdrew their strike after the government assured them of considering their reasonable demands.
Hamidur Rahman, vice-president of district unit Road Transport Workers Union, said: “The workers are reluctant to take out vehicles because of the new Road Transport Act.”
In Faridpur, activities at the district came to a grinding halt as the district’s truck workers refrained from transporting goods protesting against implementation of the Road Transport Act.
The strike has left several thousand porters and labourers at the port without work while causing suffering to passengers and businessmen.
