A countrywide 48-hour transport strike, enforced by Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, left people in distress and caused immense sufferings on Sunday.
The transport workers on Saturday declared to stage the work abstention from 6:00 am Sunday to 6:00 am Tuesday to press home their eight-point demands.
No public transports were seen plying on Dhaka city roads except some CNG-run auto-rickshaws and a huge number of rickshaws.
Public transports, including buses, minibuses and human-haulers stayed off the roads since morning in response to the strike, causing immense sufferings to city dwellers including office-goers and students.
In the capital, no inter-district buses left Gabtoli, Mohakhali or Sayedabad terminals in the morning.
CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers are charging excessive fares taking advantage of the situation, alleged commuters.
Many people were seen walking or travelling by rickshaw to reach their destinations – sometimes paying double or triple the cost of the usual fare.
The government-run Bangladesh Road Transport Commission (BRTC) bus service was the only public transport option available throughout the city.
Traffic Inspector Asad from Abdullahpur area in the capital was quoted by UNB news agency as saying that there is no public transport on the roads since morning. The number of private vehicles is also limited. People are travelling on rickshaws to reach their destination.
Basu Deb who works at a private company and resides in Mirpur’s Purobi area said that he had to stand on the road for a public bus from 6 am to go Motijheel, but no vehicle was there.
“Later, I had to hire a rickshaw for office,” he added.
According to reports from different districts, no long-route buses left respective bus stands following the strike.
Their demands include making all offences by road accident ‘bailable’, cancellation of the provision of fining Tk 0.5 million for involvement in a road accident, keeping a representative from their federation in any probe body formed for road accident, fixing minimum educational qualification for getting driving licence to class-V, and stopping police harassment on roads,
Earlier on October 12, the workers’ association, decided to launch demonstration by going on a two-day work abstention from October 28 to press home their eight-point demands that included amendments to the Road Transport Act, if their demands are not met by October 27.
