Allow public transport right away

Transport owners yesterday urged the government to allow them to resume operations of public transport from today considering the plight of thousands of people involved in the sector.

They also demanded allocation of Tk 5,000 crore as special incentive at a low interest rate for the sector so that they could give salary and bonus to their staffers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr and repair vehicles.

"We want to resume operations of public transport from tomorrow [today]. We are ready to follow all types of health safety guidelines," Romesh Chandra Ghosh, chairman of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners' Association, said at a press conference.

The association, one of the two major platforms of transport owners, organised the press conference at its Gabtoli office in the capital to announce a four-point demand.

Operations of public transport, mainly bus and minibus, remained suspended since April 5 when the government imposed restrictions on the movement of people and public transport to contain the spread of Covid-19.

However, buses were allowed to operate in 11 cities for a week from April 7 at half capacity.

Romesh, also the managing director of Shyamoli Paribahan, claimed the transport sector incurred a loss of Tk 5,000 crore during the shutdown last year.

Although different businesses recovered after receiving financial incentives from the government, the transport sector did not get any significant incentive, he said.

The association chief said around 30 lakh transport workers and 3 lakh owners are facing a tough time due to the suspension of public transport services as they have no other income. Besides, owners purchased most of their vehicles taking loans from financial institutions.

"So we are requesting the prime minister and the government to stand by transport owners and workers, one of the major economic sectors in the country, at this tough time," he said.

Humayun Kabir, vice chairman of the association, said almost everything, including shopping malls and mills and factories, is open now.

"I want to ask whether only the public transport spreads coronavirus," he said.

The transport owners' other demands include waiving interest of their loans, postponing payment of loan instalments till June and not declaring their loan classified till June.

They also demanded allowing transport owners to reschedule their classified loans with 1 percent down payment.

Abu Raihan, general secretary, and Suvenker Ghosh Rakesh, joint secretary of the association, among others, were present at the briefing.