Commuters suffer amid wildcat strike [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Commuters suffer amid wildcat strike

Local October 19, 2015

Wild cat strike by transport owners and workers on Sunday caused untold sufferings to commuters in and around the capital.
One month’s simple jail term handed to a bus conductor of Himachol Paribahan by a mobile court at Taltola, Agargaon for charging excess fares prompted the wildcat strike.
Since October 1, BRTA mobile courts began checking charging of excess fares.
Commuters were seen standing in long queues at different places waiting in vain for buses and mini buses.
This was the common picture at Pallabi, Mirpur, Agargaon, Farmgtae, Shahbagh, Press Club, Gulistan and Motijheel since the afternoon.
Buses and mini buses stayed off the roads at Mirpur, Airport, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Dohar and Savar areas.
Magistrate Al Amin who ran the BRTA mobile court told New Age that on Sunday the bus conductor of Himachol Paribahan was handed one month’s simple imprisonment at Taltola, Agargaon for charging excess fares.
He said that the conductor was found charging Tk 30 as the minimum fare which was Tk 23 more than the rate fixed by the government.
Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation assistant secretary Md Karam Ali described the punishment as disproportionate to the offence.
In protest, transport workers blocked roads at Kalshi, Mirpur and forced passengers to get down from buses.
Being pampered by the government transport owners and workers never hesitate to make the commuters their hostages, said architect and environmentalist Iqbal Habib.
Occupying important political positions in the administration, the transport owners and workers don’t hesitate to show audacity, he said.
Commuter Kabir Hossain who had to walk all the way to Karwan Bazaar from Mirpur found the repeated failure of the government to enforce the law as ‘unacceptable.’
Even the directives from the High Court is of no avail, he said.
The government could provide no relief to the beleaguered commuters.
Commuters said that the government was unable to come to their aid as out of 481 buses of BRTC 218 were under use to transport staff and students.
In last five years, state run BRTC was compelled to shut down at least 32 inter-district bus services under pressure from private bus companies.
Despite drives against unfit buses and mini buses damaged and run down buses and mini buses ply on the capital’s roads.
A new traffic chaos became a source of problem on the highways since August 1, with the auto-rickshaw drivers defying ban on the three wheelers.
There is no scope to accuse the transport owners of violating public interest, said state minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives and Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association president Moshiur Rahman Ranga.
About stopping BRTC bus service on many routes, he said, it never curbed public interest.
Shipping minister Shajahan Khan who also the executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation is a source of strength of the transport workers.
The road transport and highways division secretary MAN Siddique said strikes called by transport owners and workers cause sufferings to the common folks.