Passenger and goods carrying road transport workers continued indefinite strike on Wednesday by blocking roads and obstructing movement of other transports in different districts across Bangladesh, protesting at the implementation of the new Road Transport Act 2018.
Goods carrying vehicle owners and workers, under the banner of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Goods Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council, started a countrywide work abstention programme since the morning.
The strike of passenger transport workers spread to different districts in Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Rajshahi and Chattogram on Wednesday.
No long-route buses came to or left the capital’s Mohakhali bus terminal since morning on the day while few buses left the Gabtali bus terminal.
Transport workers blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Shanir Akhra area and Signboard area and staged demonstrations at about 12:30pm.
The demonstrating workers did not allow any bus to cross the areas causing huge suffering to the commuters.
Passengers, including elderly people, had to take alternative transports paying higher fare to go to their destinations.
Bus communication on Dhaka-Cumilla and Dhaka-Narsingdi routes also remained suspended.
Chittagong Port Authority secretary Mohammad Omar Faruk told New Age that though loading and unloading goods from vessels were normal, the goods delivery activities remained suspended as there was no truck or covered van since the morning.
On the other hand, loading and unloading activities at Benapole Land port remained snapped for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
Agitated goods carrying transport workers are continuing rally at Tejgaon truck stand since morning.
Dhaka District Bus-Minibus Sramik Union Mohakhali bus terminal unit secretary Shahidullah Sadu told New Age that some demonstrating transport workers beat up some bus drivers in the morning who were running vehicles on Dhaka-Tangail route. Later, police handled the situation.
Senior goods carrying transport leaders said that they would hold a meeting with the home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, today, Wednesday, November 19, 2019, to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Dhaka District Bus-Minibus Sramik Union Mohakhali bus terminal unit secretary Shahidullah Sadu told New Age that some demonstrating transport workers beat up some bus drivers in the morning who were running vehicles on Dhaka-Tangail route. Later police handled the situation.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority was conducting seven mobile courts at Farmgate, Mirpur, Shymoli, Khilgaon, Ekuria and Ashulia areas in the capital on Wednesday amid the ongoing crisis while movement of public transport was less than normal on the capital’s roads apparently due to mobile court operations.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Goods carrying vehicle owners and workers went on a countrywide strike for indefinite period as the government began operating mobile courts under the Road Transport Act 2018 while bus workers in 24 districts were on strike.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority met with senior leaders of transport workers and owners but there was no result as the leaders claimed that they did not call any strike.
Senior leaders of the goods-carrying vehicle owners and workers met with home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at his Monipuripara house on Tuesday evening, said a release of the ministry.
The meeting, however, ended with no fruitful decision about withdrawal of the strike.
The much-talked-about road law came into effect on November 1 more than 13 months after it was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad in September 2018 but road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader twice deferred enforcement of the law for making people aware about it.
Leaders of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Goods Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council on Tuesday at a press conference at Tejgaon truck stand in Dhaka announced work abstention across the country from Wednesday for an indefinite period.
They asked the government to suspend implementation of the new law and amend it as per their nine-point demands. Their first demand is defining all road accident cases against drivers as bailable and no owners can be arrested or harassed in road accidents cases.
