Transports fear-struck

Shahin Akhter and Sultana Yesmin Mili

Haunted by the fear of arson and vandalism, inter-district transports have been plying the highways in lesser numbers since the non-stop blockade called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance began on January 6, which has already dealt a severe blow to the sector.As law enforcement agencies are mainly focusing on the security for transports operating on long routes, hundreds of inter-district buses are left insecure often becoming the targets of vandalism and arson attack, said transport workers and leaders.Statistics provided by some toll plazas of major connecting bridges showed that the flow traffic using the bridges had halved during blockade.Transport workers said the number of passengers had reduced considerably because of attacks on buses.Data of Bangladesh Bridge Authority showed that on an average 12,000 vehicles had crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge on both ends per day in December, 2014 from which it earned Tk 1.1 crore per day, but the number of vehicles using the bridge decreased to 5,000- 6,000 per day since January 5, when BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia announced the blockade.Bridge Authority executive engineer Abul Kalam Azad said that their earning had dwindled as the flow of traffic had become thinner due to the blockade.

The statistics also showed that on an average 22,000 vehicles had crossed Meghna-Gumti Bridge per day in December, 2014, but the number slumped to 4,000 since January 5.It showed that 19, 675 vehicles had crossed the bridge on December 15 while only 3,843 vehicles crossed it in 24 hours on January 15.Following some security measures taken by the law enforcers and in cases under pressure, some long-route buses were plying the highways but inter-district buses are hardly getting such security, said transport leaders.Despite fear of attack on transports, life was almost as usual in the capital on Friday, the 11th day of the blockade, and more transports left different terminals in Dhaka on the day than the preceding blockade days.But railway communication continued to be in disarray with all the trains missing their schedules.Hundreds of passengers waited for hours for trains at Kamalapur railway station as the trains were late by eight hours to 20 hours in their arrival or departure on the day.Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association vice-president Abul Hossain Mazumder told New Age that about half of the buses which usually operate between Dhaka and different adjacent districts, including Munshiganj, Manikganj, Bhairab, Brahmanbaria and Mymensingh, stayed off the road for fear of attack during the blockade.

Some transport workers at Gulistan and Mohakhali bus terminals said that the number of passengers on Dhaka-Munshianj route had fallen considerably during the blockade.Jafar Alam, a driver’s assistant of Sonar Tori Paribahan at Mohakhali bus terminal, said that they usually operate 20 to 25 buses on Dhaka-Sherpur route, but the numbers of passengers decreased significantly after some deadly arson attacks on transports elsewhere.
BRTOA vice-president Md Abul Kalam said that due to lack of passengers, the frequency of buses had decreased.During a visit to Mohakhali bus terminal, New Age found that buses to Aricha, Manikganj, Tangail and other adjacent districts had become less frequent.Since January 4, day before the BNP-led alliance started the indefinite and countrywide blockade, an insignificant number of buses left the capital’s Mohakhali and Saidabad terminals for adjacent districts.Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation (Chittagong division) general secretary Kazi Motahar Hossain said currently only about 20 per cent buses were being operated on different inter-district routes, including Chittagong-Rangamati, Chittagong-Bandarban, Chittagong-Shuvopur, Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar-Chittagong.A number of deadly arson attacks on transports presumably by blockaders have caused panic among the transport operators and passengers as well leading to the situation, he said.‘There are police and other law enforcers at places on the highways but they are failing to prevent sudden attacks,’ Motahar added.Rajshahi division BRTWF leaders Qamal Hossain Robi and Manjur Rahman said that at present 10 to 20 per cent buses were running on different inter-district routes.Barisal Bus Owners’ Association general secretary Md Alamgir Hossain Alam said that about 700 buses and minibuses usually ran in six districts of the division. Since January 4, a very small number of buses have been running on inter-district routes fearing violence.Naogaon District Road Transport Owners’ Group general secretary Md Shafiqul Alam said some of their buses were running on different inter-district routes from the district during blockade.Bangladesh Transport Workers’ Association Jessore branch leader Sheikh Rafiqul Islam said the number of buses running between Jessore and Kaliganj, Pikegachha and Satkhira districts was not adequate.Comilla District Road Transport Owners’ Group vice-president Abul Hossain Majumder told New Age that a few buses were operating on Comilla-Chittagong and Comilla-Noakhali routes during blockade.State minister for home affairs Asaduzzaman Khan said on January 9 that bus owners would be compensated for any damage if they ran inter-district buses defying the blockade.The government on January 8 assured transport owners of all-out security so that they could run intercity buses and trucks defying the blockade.The state minister for LGED also threatened to shut the bus counters if they did not operate during the blockade.

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