Staff Reporter :
Dhaka-bound thousands of commuters on Saturday experienced suffering during their entrance in the city through the first Buriganga Bridge, as the transport workers put barricade on the bridge protesting toll hike.
The commuters were forced to cross the bridge at Postagola in Keraniganj on foot during the barricade.
The vehicular movement on the bridge resumed after six and a half hours of the blockade. The transport workers put barricade on the bridge, also known as China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge, around 8:00 am.
The blockade was withdrawn around 2:30pm after the Transport and Road Department officials assured that the additional toll would not be charged anymore, said Imdadul Hossain, convener of First Buriganga Bridge Toll Free Sangram Parishad.
The transport workers alleged that gatekeepers were charging twice or thrice the amount of toll fare than usual. Protesting the additional charge, the transport workers blocked the bridge, saying that they were unable to pay the high rates.
Md Kamaruzzaman, a central leader of the Road Transport Sramik Federation and adviser of First Buriganga Bridge Toll Free Sangram Parishad, alleged that they were being forced to pay more money than before.
“A CNG-driven auto-rickshaw now has to pay Tk 35 as toll for using the bridge whereas it was Tk 10 even a few days back”, he said.
Transport movement from Dhaka to Keraniganj, Munshiganj, Khulna and Barisal remained halted since the blockade and a tailback ensued at both ends of the bridge.
