People suffer amidst work abstention of bus workers

Sufferings of people continued for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday as transport workers in many districts remained off the road protesting at the Road Transport Act 2018.

Goods vehicle owners and workers, meanwhile, withdrew their strike early  Thursday after the authorities assured them of considering their demands for suspending implementation of the new law and amend it as per their nine-point demands.

Leaders of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation on the day asked the transport workers to keep calm and drive vehicles keeping trust in its next course of action and not bring sufferings to people.

The federation came up with the call after the first day of the federation’s two-day central committee extended meeting held in Dhaka on the day with its executive president Shajahan Khan, also former shipping minister, in the chair, said a release.

The meeting observed the workers created an ‘unacceptable’ deadlock by not running vehicles ‘spontaneously’ after the implementation of the new law.

The federation would submit amendment proposals to the government, the release said.

The federation general secretary Osman Ali earlier told New Age decision on their next course of action would be taken at the extended meeting today.

Passengers especially admission seekers and businesspeople suffered throughout the day in at least 16 districts. 

Loading and unloading at Benapole land port remained stopped for the work abstention.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched a 15-day traffic awareness quarter on Thursday to make people aware of traffic rules.

Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday at a meeting said there would be no further complexities regarding the road transport law as exaggeration would be avoided while enforcing the law, reports United News of Bangladesh.

‘There is no reason to disrupt vehicular movement on roads as transport strike is no more. The issue has been settled through discussion. No complexities will arise if exaggeration in enforcing the law could be avoided,’ he said.

He made the comment after the Bangladesh Truck and Covered Van Goods Transport Owners and Workers Unity Council called off their countrywide strike at a meeting with home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his Dhanmondi residence in the capital early Thursday.

Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters they would consider all the demands of the council and send recommendations to the road transport ministry on their objections to the new law after discussing with the transport leaders.

The road law came into effect on November 1 more than 13 months after it was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad in September 2018 but road transport and bridges minister twice deferred enforcement of the law for making people aware of it.

At least six workers got injured following a scuffle over running Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation bus at Dinajpur.

Almost no long route buses left or reached Mohakhali bus terminal on the day but few buses were seen leaving Gabtali bus terminal. At Saidabad terminal, movement of buses to different long routes including Chattogram and Sylhet remained normal on the day. 

Seven mobile courts led by executive magistrates of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority were on operation in Dhaka on Thursday to enforce the new law.

They filed 37 cases and realised Tk 35,500 in fine at Manik Mia Avenue, Mirpur-1, Adabar, Ramna, Gendaria, Uttara, Khalpar and Khilkhet areas.

New Age correspondent in Jashore reported work abstention of transport workers on long-route and inter-district routes which spread to 10 districts in Khulna division brought manifold sufferings to passengers, patients, admission seekers to Jashore University of Science and Technology, and businesspeople for five consecutive days.

Susmita Zaman Shila reached Jashore to sit for the admission test to Jashore University of Science and Technology on Thursday after a nine-hour journey from Khoksha in Kushtia due to lack of transports.

Usually, it was only a three-hour journey.

Like Shila, many other admission seekers had to endure sufferings to sit for the admission test at the university.  Some aspirants could not be able to come, said the university vice-chancellor Anwar Hossain.

Loading and unloading at Benapole land port remained stopped since Monday due to the work abstention which hampered export and import activities, said Benapole Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association joint-secretary Mohsin Milon.

New Age correspondent in Khulna reported transport workers’ work abstention continued for four consecutive days in 10 districts under the division.

Khulna Divisional Motor Sramik Union general secretary Md Zakir Hossain Biplab said the workers went for work abstention without consulting central leaders. He said they were waiting for the decision which would be made today in Dhaka. 

Since morning, no long route buses left Khulna while in the evening some buses started to run on Khulna-Dhaka route.

The workers continued to say that they would not bear the huge penalties under the new law.

At Zero point, Phulbarigate, Daulatpur and New Road areas in Khulna city some youths allegedly vandalised some vehicles.

Passengers were rushed to the train stations due to absence of buses while the trains were full with passengers.

Activities at C&B ghat in Faridpur came to a halt as the district’s truck workers refrained from transporting goods protesting against implementation of the new law, reports United News of Bangladesh.

Transport workers in Sherpur stayed off the road for the fourth consecutive day, causing immense sufferings to the commuters, although their leaders had announced to withdraw the strike, reports UNB.

No long haul buses and goods-laden vehicles were seen plying on the road in Sherpur since Thursday morning.

New Age correspondent in Magura reported passengers continued to face immense sufferings as most of the long route buses were off from the Magura-Dhaka and Magura-Khulna roads.

Movement of goods carrying vehicles resumed on the day.

Chattogram Port Authority secretary Omar Faruk said around 2:00am the container movement started after 18 hours of suspension since 8:00am Wednesday, reports New Age Correspondent in Chattogram.

Container-laden vehicles from the 17-private off-docks also started for the port as soon as the announcement of withdrawal of strike arrived.

Long-route buses started moving from Chattogram to Dhaka, Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khargachari and in the port city public transports were seen as usual.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net