Transport Strike in Southwest: People suffer for second day

People in the country's southwest suffered for the second consecutive day yesterday as transport workers kept vehicles off the streets protesting against the life-term of a bus driver.

The strike also took a heavy toll on traders as the goods-carrying vehicles remained stuck at land ports in 10 districts of the Khulna division, affecting the government revenue from import and export.

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Meanwhile, senior leaders of transport owners and workers' platforms late last night told The Daily Star that they would extend the strike across the country from 6:00am today. They asked not to be named.

They made the decision hours after a Dhaka court yesterday sentenced a trucker to death in a case filed over a road accident in Savar in 2003.

Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge Pradip Kumar Roy handed the punishment to Mir Hossain Miru. However, the court acquitted Hossain's helper Entaz Hossain on the charges, said court sources.

The judge gave the punishment to the truck driver as the charges brought against him under Section 302 of the Penal Code were proved beyond doubt. The two accused were present in the court.

The accident on June 20 that year left one Khodeza Begum dead.

Talking to The Daily Star, Abdur Rahim Box Dudu, senior vice-president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation, yesterday said they would continue the strike until they have an assurance from the government that justice would be done about the sentencing of the bus driver.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary MAN Siddique told this newspaper last evening, “Workers enforced the strike following a court verdict. We have nothing to do with this.”

The strike was enforced in the 10 districts from 6:00am Sunday over the sentencing of bus driver Jamir Hossain in a case filed over a road accident in 2011.

The additional district and sessions court in Manikganj on February 22 pronounced the verdict in presence of Jamir. The court held the 50-year-old guilty of reckless driving and negligence that led to the deaths of five people.

Among the dead were eminent filmmaker Tareque Masud and media personality Ashfaque Munier Mishuk.

According to transport operators, around 5 lakh people travel on about 4,500 buses to and from the capital to the 10 districts daily. Besides, around 3,000 trucks and covered vans carry goods on these routes daily.

STRIKE CONTINUES

In Khulna, no bus and truck plied the streets yesterday. A few three-wheelers ran on the roads, but some of them came under attack from transport workers.

Jubayer Rahman in the city's Baghmara area said, “I along with one of my relatives took a battery-run easy-bike at Moylapota intersection. As the vehicle moved forward a few yards, protesters carrying sticks waylaid it.

“They forced all the passengers to get down. All of a sudden, they started beating the driver. Seeing the trouble, we came back home,” he told The Daily Star.

Khulna resident Sanjoy Kundu also had to suffer badly. As there was no bus to Dhaka in the city, he hired a motorcycle for Tk 3,000 to travel to Kawrakandi ferry terminal of Madaripur.

A tripartite meeting of road transport owners, workers and district administration officials was held at Khulna Circuit House to discuss the demands of transport workers. But the meeting did not yield any positive results, said meeting sources.

In Jessore, around 1,000 trucks laden with goods, including medicine, oxygen, onion and fish, were stranded at Benapole land port.

Loading and offloading of goods at the port remained stalled, while passengers from India were desperately looking for train tickets to reach their destinations.

“I had to travel from Benapole to Jessore on different modes of transport. I took battery-run three-wheelers, rickshaws and rickshaw-vans,” said Narayan Chandra, who was on his way to the capital from India.

After reaching Jessore Railway Station, he took a train to Dhaka.

The government's revenue income at Benapole Customs House declined sharply as export of goods remained almost suspended.

“The government incurred a loss of over Tk 30 crore in revenue in the last two days from this port alone,” said Shawkat Hossain, commissioner at Benapole Customs House.

A huge congestion of imported goods was created at the port, said Matiar Rahman, chairman of the port unit subcommittee of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

In Satkhira, around 200 goods-laden trucks were stranded at Bhomra land port.

Businessmen were suffering huge losses as perishable goods like fruits, vegetables and fish were rotting, said Nowshad Delwar, president of Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association at the port.

Many passengers were seen waiting for vehicles at Satkhira Bus Terminal.

Abul Hossain, who came from Kaliganj upazila on a battery-run easy-bike, said transport workers carrying sticks waylaid the vehicle.

The workers were about to beat the driver. However, the driver escaped the assault after paying them some money, claimed Abul.

Our correspondents in Khulna, Benapole and Satkhira contributed to this report.