Commuters suffer as Khulna transport strike continues
With demand of amending new road transport act, the transport workers in the districts of Khulna division continued their strike for the second day on Tuesday, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
Insisting that no driver causes road accident or kills anyone intentionally, transport workers said they have to count fine up to Tk 5 lakh for any accident under the new act which quietly impossible for them to pay.
The workers closed bus plying in the internal routes of the districts on Monday but they also halted long-haul bus services since this morning.
Our Khulna correspondent said work abstention of the drivers is on in Khulna today demanding amendment to the Road Transport Act, 2018, pushing people into ultold sufferrings.
No inter-district and long-haul bus were seeing plying in any route due to the strike.
But three wheeler (locally known as Mahendra), pickup van, microbus and other small vehicles were seen reaching passengers destinations taking much more fare from them.
Protesting drivers said they cannot comply with the act as they have to face punishment despite not killing anyone willfully on road. That is why they went to the strike.
Humayun Kabir waiting for bus at Sonadanga Bus Station in city said he needs to go to capital Dhaka for office work but cannot do so because of the strike.
Md Nurul Islam Baby, president of Khulna Motor Workers' Union, said they went to an indefinite strike and will continue it until the new road transport act is amended.
No bus left Satkhira Central Bus Terminal as the transport workers are observing indefinite strike seeking amendment to the new road trasnport act that caused sufferings to the people, according to our Satkhira correspondent.
But a few bus of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) were seeing moving. Easybike, van and other small vehicles were also plying amid the strike.
Alleging that there are rules of punishment unilaterally against the drivers under the new act, local driver Milon Sarder said they would not drive bus if the act is not amended.
Satkhira Bus Workers Union said they kept close bus plying in verbal direction of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation.
Satkhira Bus-Minibus Owners' Association president Saiful Karim Babu told the Jago News that workers are observing the strike spontenously as they are worried about enforcement of the act.
If the government assure them of amendment to the new transport act, they will go to service, the transport leader added.
Narail correspondent said workers are observing transport strike in all internal and long routes, including Narail to Jashore, Khulna and Lohagara, for the second day without making any announcement.
In the same demand, bus services remained suspended in all routes of Meherpur district for the second day. Many passengers have to go back to home as the strike is without annoucement.
People of Jhenidah district are also sufferring immensly due to no bus service.
Transport workers in Kushtia, Jashore and Chuadanga are also observing this strike in same demand.
But vehicular movement is seen normal in only Bagerhat district, according to our district correspondent.
