Home ›› 05 Nov 2021 ›› Front
Transport owners want to increase fares in the wake of the diesel price hike as they said on Thursday they would enforce a nationwide strike today if their demand was not met.
Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Owners’ Association President Md Tofazzal Hossain Majumder and Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association Executive President Rustam Ali Khan told the media on Thursday they would continue the strike if the government did not reduce diesel prices or raise fares.
The government increased diesel and kerosene prices by Tk 15 per litre, effective from Thursday midnight, due to the continuous rise in fuel prices in the global market.
Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association, said they had not announced any strike centrally.
He said some district leaders had called the strike because they were unable to operate at current fares after the fuel price hike.
“We have written to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority chairman, saying bus and other public transport fares should be raised urgently. Because of the diesel price hike, transport owners will have to spend extra to operate their services, but they are not interested in that,” he explained.
Besides, Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry, Prime Mover Owners’ and Workers’ Coordination Council in a press release said the government’s move to hike fuel prices, along with tolls for Bangabandhu and Muktarpur bridges, would add to the misery of the transport sector already ravaged by Covid-19.
Terming the hike illogical, Tofazzal said transport owners were already under a lot of pressure.
“It will now be impossible for them to operate vehicles due to the increased diesel prices,” he said.
An Energy and Mineral Resources Division press release said on Wednesday customers would have to buy diesel or kerosene at Tk 80 per litre from Thursday.
