City commuters suffer as 48-hour transport strike underway

Commuters in the capital immensely suffer on the first day of the 48-hour countrywide strike enforced by the transport workers to meet their eight-point demand.

Hundreds of people were seen waiting for buses at various points in the capital on Sunday morning.

No public transports except a few BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) buses were seen plying on the city streets except some CNG-run auto-rickshaws and rickshaws.

Many people were forced to walk on foot to reach their destinations. Others rode rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws paying double fare than the usual.

Hundreds of commuters were seen waiting at Farmgate area for bus. A few could ride in the BRTC buses.

Shakila Haque, who works at a private company in Karwan Bazar, said she waited at Malibagh, Mouchak and Maghbazar for a long time.

Nawrin Hassan, from Mahanagar Housing Society at Hatirjheel, said she waited for a bus for about an hour.

"Usually, I have to wait for five minutes for a bus. As there was a long queue, I looked for a CNG-run auto-rickshaw but to no avail. I waited for a bus again,” she told Prothom Alo.

“Fortunately I got a bus and reached near Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC). In a rickshaw van, I reached my office at Karwan Bazar," Nawrin said.

No inter-district buses left Gabtoli, Mohakhali or Sayedabad terminals in the morning.

The workers under the banner of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation make an 8-point demand and if the demands are not met within the period, an indefinite strike will be called from 30 October, the organisation leaders said.

The eight point demands include making all offences by road accident 'bailable', cancellation of the provision of fining Tk 500,000 for involvement in a road accident, keeping a representative from their federation in any probe body formed for road accident, fixing minimum educational qualification for getting driving licence to class-V, and stopping police harassment on roads.

On 12 October, the workers' association, decided to launch demonstration by going on a two-day work abstention from 28 October to press home their eight-point demands that included amendments to the Road Transport Act, if their demands are not met by 27 October.