Public suffering continues on day 2 of transport strike

When Hosne Ara went out on the street in the capital’s Jatrabari on Saturday morning, there was no bus. The National Institute of ENT in Tejgaon was her destination. She was forced to ride a CNG-run autorickshaw to reach the hospital.

“CNG-run autorickshaw drivers are overcharging passengers, taking advantage of the transport strike. Patients like me are suffering the most due to the sudden closure of public transports,” she told The Business Post.

“Patients must go to hospitals. But how will they go if there is no public transport on roads?” said Ara, who went to the hospital to receive nose treatment.

Like her, Samima Jahan also had a painful experience. Holding her two-month-old baby that was suffering from cough and cold, she walked to Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar from Jatrabari.

She said she opted to walk as even rickshaw-pullers were charging unreasonably high fares.

City dwellers’ misery continued for the second day on Saturday because of the strike enforced by transport owners to protest against the recent fuel price hike announced by the government.

As there were no buses on roads, people had to travel by rickshaws, CNG-run auto-rickshaws, and ridesharing motorcycles, but they had to pay around double the usual fares. Many also walked to their destinations.

Like Friday, no bus left Dhaka or arrived from outside the capital.

Transport leaders said they would decide to call off the strike after discussing with the authorities concerned on Sunday (today).

Meanwhile, most public transports in Chattogram city will resume today as local transport owners have relaxed the strike.

“Public transports will resume from 6am on Sunday,” said Belayet Hossain, president of Chattogram Metropolitan Transport Owners Association.

“However, inter-district buses, covered vans, and trucks will remain suspended,” he added.

Minister hints at transport fare hike

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Saturday transport fare would remain tolerable even if the government decided to increase it due to the strike.

He told a press briefing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was closely monitoring the situation from London.

Transport owners and workers were adamant about continuing the strike, said public transports would not be resumed unless the government raised fares or rescinded the fuel price hike.

Launch services were open on Friday, but launch owners on Saturday said they would not operate vessels.

“We talked to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority chairman over the phone. He said there would be a meeting with us at 12:30pm today, but he has not contacted us yet,” said Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carrier Association Secretary Siddiqur Rahman Patwary on Saturday evening.

“Launch owners are now reluctant to run their vessels,” he added.

After a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his residence in Dhanmondi on Saturday, leaders of the truck owners and workers federation vowed to continue the strike until additional fuel prices were withdrawn or fares were increased.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Secretary General Khandaker Enayet Ullah told The Business Post there was little possibility of withdrawing the strike before Sunday.

“We have a meeting on Sunday morning over revising bus fares. After the meeting, we will decide whether the strike will be called off or not.”

‘Bus fares must not be hiked by over Tk 0.15’

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity on Saturday demanded that the fuel price hike be rescinded, thus relieving the people of the misery caused by the strike.

“In 2016, when fuel prices were cut by Tk 3, bus fares were reduced by only Tk 0.3. Now that fuel prices have been raised by Tk 15, bus fares must not be increased by more than Tk 0.15,” Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the association, told a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday.