Toll protest turns violent in Bangladesh

For the second day in a row, commuters suffered as transport workers laid siege to both the ends of the First China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge over the Buriganga protesting a toll hike.

This had an adverse effect on traffic in the area and the diversion routes between Keraniganj and Dhaka.

The protesters yesterday also blocked the Shyampur road to Narayanganj, which goes under the bridge, causing a long tailback in Shyampur.

Hundreds of auto-rickshaw drivers, truck and lorry workers, bicycle riders, operators of local non-motorised vehicles continued their demonstrations blocking vehicular movement over the bridge, said Sheikh Abdur Razzaq, officer-in-charge of Shyampur Police Station.

The siege did not cause traffic jams in Hasnabad and Postogola ends of the bridge, as traffic was diverted to the Babubazar bridge, he claimed, adding that the diversion, as a consequence, deteriorated traffic congestion in the old part of the capital.   

As to the possibilities to end the ongoing demonstrations, Razzaq claimed that high officials of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) were called in to the Prime Minister's Office to discuss the issue.

MAN Siddique, secretary to road transport and bridges ministry, however, said there was no such call from the Prime Minister's Office.  

All cargo vehicles, as per the new toll chart, now have to pay at least eight times more than before. 

The low-income auto-rickshaw drivers, local commuters with bicycles, and rickshaw and van pullers, and cart pushers, who used to use the bridge for free, now have to pay to get across. 

The bridge is one among six, including Meghna-Gumti, Dhaleshwari, Ghorashal, Kanchan and Bhairab, for which the communications ministry made new rates effective from August 1 to have a “uniform” toll rate across the country, Aftab Ahmed, RHD additional chief engineer, said on Saturday. 

Razzaq said according to the new chart, articulated lorries have to pay Tk 750, lorries Tk 280, medium trucks Tk 275, and small trucks Tk 170 and large buses Tk 75.

These vehicles used to pay Tk 30 only before.

For minibuses, the toll was raised to Tk 25 from Tk 20 and for microbuses to Tk 75 from Tk 20.

The new toll rates will be reviewed in the case of this bridge after local lawmaker Nasrul Hamid Bipu writes to the communications ministry to make the bridge toll free, said MAN Siddique on Saturday. 

On July 25, the authorities in the face of hour-long transport workers' agitation temporarily withheld the newly imposed toll rates.