Transport workers have nowhere to eat on the highways
Though it has not been announced officially, the entire country is effectively under a lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. People are stuck at home, but they have to eat. Food is not produced in Dhaka or the other big cities of the country and so the government has allowed vehicles carrying food supplies to continue running. The transport workers are now responsible for ensuring a steady supply of food to the cities. Yet eateries along the highway are all closed down and the transport workers have a hard time getting a decent meal.
There are around 350,000 vehicles which carry goods in the country, but almost all of these have come to a halt. Only the vehicles carrying vegetables, rice and other food products as well as vehicles carrying essential drugs, are still running. This makes up about 10 per cent of the total transport.
After running for a stretch of four or five hours, the truck needs a rest. During this break they refresh themselves with bananas, bread and tea. Later they have their lunch when they can. But now the tea stalls are closed along the highways and there are very few eating places.
North Bengal is a major source of food supplies and Bogura is the hub. Vegetables also come to Dhaka and other cities from Jashore and other parts of the southwestern region. Large consignments of rice, lentils, onions and other food supplies come from North Bengal. Such goods also are supplied from the wholesalers in Chattogram and Narayanganj. Then there are the consignments of rice from the government stock.
After the sudden lockdown, the transport workers have a hard time to find a decent meal on the highways. The highway police have now allowed some restaurants to open up at the ferry terminals. The workers said that at least now they can get some food, though the prices are exorbitant.
Deputy inspector general of the highway police, Mahbubur Rahman, told Prothom Alo restaurants had been allowed to open in certain areas according to the list given by the transport owners and workers association and so now there would be no problem.
Transport drivers and workers said that it takes one and a half to two days to travel from Panchagarh or Rajshahi to Chattogram. After running for a stretch of four or five hours, the truck needs a rest. During this break they refresh themselves with bananas, bread and tea. Later they have their lunch when they can. But now the tea stalls are closed along the highways and there are very few eating places.
Truck driver Md Ashraful arrived at Nimshar, Cumilla last week, carrying around 13 tonnes of cucumbers, potatoes and carrots from Bogura. He had only managed to have one meal of rice in two days. That was near the Kanchpur Bridge. And prices were sky high, 300 taka per persons. Ashraful normally takes a break to eat at a place near the Shilabrishti petrol pump in Kaliakoir when he comes from North Bengal. Food there is good and cheap. Then there are tea and refreshment breaks along the way. But since the lockdown, there has been a crisis for meals and refreshments.
Ashraful said that he had staying been at Shantahar for four days after delivering supplies to Cumilla. He will take government rice from here to Tejgaon in Dhaka. Here too food was a big problem.
Normally there is at least one helper along with the truck driver. The drivers are not always paid highly. Their main income is from the commission on the consignment. Whatever payment is made, the workers get a 20 per cent cut. But due to the lockdown, most the transport workers have gone to their villages. They come only when they need to earn some money. They are happy to have even just two trips a week, because of the difficulties in meals and also because of the fewer number of trips.
Ujjal Sheikh last week went to Chandina, Cumilla with a load of potatoes from Joypurhat. He said the roads were empty and it would be easy to speed, but a loaded truck has to maintain a certain speed limit. And the vehicle also needs to be rested after certain intervals. He would normally have a tea break during these intervals. Then another stop for lunch. But the lockdown has changed everything.
President of Bogura truck owners association Abdul Mannan Akhand told Prothom Alo, in normal times around 900 to 1000 trucks run from Bogura every day. Now this has come down to 100 or 200. All of these carry food supplies. He said they had arranged lunch for 100 transport workers. But the problem was during the trip. He said even in this time of crisis, they were having to pay toll to the zila parishad, pourashava and other government offices to load and unload the trucks or to park the trucks. He said this should be stopped now.
The Tejgaon truck terminal mostly has covered vans which carry goods for the readymade garment industry and other industrial and construction goods. The workers are now without work because of the lockdown. There are some vehicles there that carry food supplies and so drivers and workers still hand out at the terminal. They cook meals there in the afternoon, rice, vegetable or khichhuri.
Convenor of the Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Transport Owners-Workers Association, Rustam Ali Khan, told Prothom Alo, they are trying their best at the terminal to ensure that the workers do not suffer on the highways because of difficulty in getting meals. They are working with the highway police in this regard.
He said they had to keep the cargo-carrying vehicles running at any cost. If not, a food crisis would emerge in the country. The government and the transport owners and workers were active in this regard.
* This report has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir