Bus communications between Naogoan and the rest of the country remained suspended on Tuesday as the district transport workers enforced a strike for an indefinite period following a clash between bus workers and those of CNG-run three-wheelers.
This is the fourth time that the transport workers enforced a strike in the district in the past six months.
‘It seems that we are hostages to transport owners and workers as they enforce a strike, whenever they want, to achieve their own interests,’ said Abul Hasan, a grocery owner who travelled to Naogaon from Sapahar upazila on Monday to buy some commodities for his shop and stayed at one of his relatives’ house at night.
Witnesses said that bus workers clashed with workers of CNG-run three-wheelers in the Manda ferry terminal area on Monday afternoon following their previous enmity over plying three-wheelers on the highway.
Protesting at the incident, three-wheeler owners and workers blocked the highway in the ferry terminal area and staged a sit-in demanding withdrawal of the bus owners’ ‘lathial bahini’, hired goons, from the highway and registration for a CNG stand in the Baludanga bus stand area.
Since the bus and the three-wheeler workers faced off against each other and tension was continuing to brew up, a huge number of law enforcers were deployed in the ferry terminal area to avoid any untoward incidents.
Following the incident, the bus workers enforced a strike for an indefinite period from Tuesday morning in protest at an attack against their fellow workers.
Shahidul Islam, president of Naogaon District Bus Owners’ Association, said that there was a ban on three-wheeler’s movement on the highway but the owners and drivers were plying their vehicles despite repeated requests from the district administration and transport leaders.
He said that a clash ensued between the bus and the three-wheeler workers over the issue on September 22.
‘In a meeting with the district administration and police, it was then decided between the two groups that three-wheelers would not be allowed to ply on the highway from 9:30am to 3:30pm. But, the three-wheelers owners and drivers are not complying with the decision,’ he said.
Shahidul Islam alleged that three-wheeler owners and drivers beat up bus workers as the latter forbid them plying their three-wheelers outside the fixed time complying with the decision.
He said that the bus drivers and workers enforced the strike as one of their fellow workers was injured in the attack.
Ashiq Hossain, general secretary of Naogaon CNG Workers’ Union, said that the ‘lathial bahini’ of the bus owners’ association beat up their fellow driver Bachchu Sardar in ferry terminal area and vandalised three three-wheelers on Monday.
‘Such incidents happen regularly. Every day bus workers obstruct CNG-run three-wheeler’s movement on the highway, beat up our fellow drivers and vandalise our vehicles. We are not getting the expected support from the local administration, due to which we are forced to take to the streets,’ he said.
Md Gaziur Rahman, additional superintendent of Naogaon police (administration and finance), said that it was a long-standing conflict between the bus and three-wheeler workers.
‘We are trying to negotiate between the two parties to normalise vehicle movement,’ he said.
