Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Transport workers obstructed the plying of public and private vehicles, including college and staff busses on the first day of 48-hour nationwide transport strike beginning Sunday morning causing immense sufferings to commuters.
Thousands of passengers, mainly low-income earners and university admission seekers, became deeply panicked due to absence of pubic transports across the country.
Some rowdy strikers allegedly carried out attacks on different vehicles, including ambulances, fire service cars, garbage vans and water carrying tanker, in the city and several other districts, report our district correspondents.
Private car owners and auto-rickshaw passengers were forced to step down from their vehicles. Many commuters lodged similar complaints.
Drivers of public transports and private cars were assaulted for defying the strike. Black Mobil oil was smeared on several drivers for defying the strike.
Even a seven-day old baby reportedly died inside an ambulance when demonstrators intercepted the car carrying the baby on the Moulovibazar-Sylhet Road at Charndragam in Borolekha upazila of Moulovibazar district around 2:30pm.
Earlier on Saturday, leaders of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation called a 48-hour strike demanding changes to the recently revised transport law and to press home their eight point demands.
In Dhaka, no public transport was seen plying at Shahabagh, Moghbazar, Kakrail, Paltan, Gulistan, New Market, Kataban, Khilgaon, Farmgate, Bangshal, Jatrabari, Abdullahpur, Mirpur and Dhanmondi areas.
Private cars and rickshaws were seen on the roads in Dhaka on Sunday morning.
Though attempts were made to operate buses from the various BRTC depots, transport workers blocked them. Buses for various government institutions were, however, plied.
Ropan Mia, who works at a private company and resides in Mirpur’s Purobi area, said he has had to wait on the road for a public bus since 6:00am to go to Motijheel, but no vehicle was available. Later, I had to hire a rickshaw to get to the office.
In Narayanganj, transport workers smeared black oil on some schoolgirls, inciting public outrage, our local correspondent reports.
The incident took place in Shimrail area of Shiddhirganj, Narayanganj, on the Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet highways around 1:00pm.
Demonstrators stopped the bus of Narayanganj Govt Women’s College, got on board and assaulted the driver, said bus driver Mojibor Rahman.
They vandalised the bus windows, smeared burnt oil on the driver’s face and threw the oil targeting five students who voiced protest.
Bedoura Binte Habib, Principal of the college, said that the demonstrators threw burnt oil at some female students.
High-ups in the police force were informed about the incident and steps will be taken as per directives, said Molla Taslim, Inspector of Narayanganj District Traffic Police.
In Chapainawabganj, public buses did not ply, causing sufferings to commuters and those who intended to travel long distances, reports our local correspondent.
Goods-laden trucks did not leave Sona Masjid land port to other districts, said Ekramul Haque, Secretary of Clearing and Forwarding Agents’ Association of the land port.
In Sylhet, no buses, trucks or any other means of public transports were seen in most of the roads and highways in the district.
In Mymensingh, the scenario was quite similar as many people were seen waiting helplessly for means to travel to their destinations.
In Chandpur, all public transports were off the roads in solidarity with the transport strike, but some rickshaws plied in the city.
In Khulna and Bagerhat, thousands of passengers suffered due to the transport strike. In particular, students who went to take part in the first year admission test of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) suffered the most.
In Gazipur, no buses no trucks were found moving along the Dhaka-Tangail or Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, causing difficulties for workers and students.
Sajeda Begum, a local garment worker, said, “The rickshaw pullers are charging exorbitant rates because there are fewer rickshaws and battery-run rickshaws than passengers.” “Many are walking to work, but are getting in late.”
In Chattogram, a weighing station on Dhaka-Chittagong highway was vandalised at Sitakunda and the highway blocked for hours reportedly by the transport workers in the morning.
In Dinajpur, no long-haul buses and intra-district vehicles plied. Buses, trucks, microbuses and cars were blocked, which has caused great difficulties for commuters. However, the battery-run auto-rickshaws operated, said our local correspondent quoting police.
In Feni, workers stopped ambulances in the district in the morning, said our local correspondent quoting police.
Osmani Ali, General Secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, said, the federation, an umbrella organisation of the country’s transport workers, has around 70 lakh members.
When asked, Osman said, “We will go for 96-hour work abstention if our demands are not met even after this 48-hour strike. However, that will not start immediately after the 48-hour programme. We will inform the media when we do that.”
Afia Sultan, a private bank jobholder, said that the Uber, Pathao, CNG drivers charged extra momey from passengers taking the advantage of transport strike.
