Transport strike called ahead of Rangpur BNP rally

Rangpur district bus owners association announced the suspension of intercity and long-haul bus, minibus and microbus services in all routes from Friday morning, a day before the divisional mass rally of BNP in Rangpur.

The association came up with the announcement on Thursday morning at its office to press home their several demands including the ban on the movement of three wheelers on Rangpur-Kurigram highway.

According to their decision, the operations of bus, minibus and microbus in all routes in Rangpur will remain suspended from Friday at 6:00am to Saturday at 6:00pm.

BNP claimed the decision was taken to prevent masses from joining the rally, which is scheduled to be held in Rangpur on Saturday. Earlier, similar transport strikes were called in Mymensingh and Khulna just ahead of the BNP rally. 

Denying the allegation, the bus owners association said there is no relation between the suspension of transport operation and the BNP rally.

The association leaders said they called the strike, protesting the administrative harassment on Dhaka-Kurigram route and demanding the ban on the movement of three-wheelers on highways. 

Meanwhile, Rangpur city BNP convener Shamsuzzaman said they have taken approval from the deputy commissioner to hold the rally at Collectorate Eidgah.

He told Prothom Alo that the local and central leaders of Rangpur and other districts held preparatory meetings to make the rally successful.  

Talking over bus suspension, he said, "We all were almost certain that the bus operation will be halted because the government tried to foil the mass rally in the way they did in Mymensingh and Khulna. But they failed to do so. The presence of masses will not be prevented in the rally by suspending the transport movement."