Commuting in fear

Garment worker Mahfuza, second from left, heading to work in Kakrail from her Mughdapara home at 7:30 in the morning yesterday ignoring the hartal and the risk of getting hurt if the bus was attacked. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

Sharmin Akhter has many safety concerns, especially with commuting between her home and office every day. The fear of being burned grips her as soon as she takes her first step out of her Mirpur home.

Whatever transport she decides to travel in, a sense of insecurity haunts her all the way to her office in Gulshan-1.

“While travelling to and from my office, I pray to God. I feel panicky as if a petrol bomb or a cocktail would fly in through the window of the vehicle,” said Sharmin.

She is only one among thousands of working women who go through such a mental stress to reach their destinations daily as the countrywide indefinite blockade continues.

Only a few employees enjoy pick up and drop-off service provided by their offices. However, many employers have recently stopped the service amid rising incidents of violence during anti-government agitations.

For women, catching a public transport in the capital has always been a tough job. Things get worse for them during blockades and hartals when the number of vehicles drops sharply.

Political violence, especially bomb and arson attacks on vehicles, has killed 31 people, burned scores of others and left several hundred injured.

“Our political leaders do not bother about the ordinary people. If they really did, they wouldn't have continued with such a chaos for so long,” said Sharmin, who works for a private bank.

Her journey to and from office has become quite troublesome nowadays. “To catch a direst bus to Gulshan-1, I need to go to the Mirpur-10 intersection from my house at Mirpur-11 and wait in a long queue there.”

But on hartal days most buses go off the streets and she has to take two rickshaws to reach her office, which costs her way too much.

The experience of Sajeda Khatun, an employee at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, is not different.

After reaching Khilkhet by a rickshaw from her Nikunja home, she waits for a bus. But very rarely she would avail one as most of the buses are crammed with passengers.

Also she cannot afford riding a CNG-run auto-rickshaw as they charge much higher than their regular fares during political programmes.

“If we die from political violence, we are gone. But if we are hurt and become physically challenged, who will look after us? How will we manage our treatment costs?” she asked.

For Anjuman Ara of Wari, the journey to her office in Gulshan-2 is not an easy one.

“Sometimes I am late in my office as it takes time to get a bus,” she said. But she is more worried about returning home in the evening after knowing about the arson attack on a bus in Jatrabari recently.

“I can't afford quitting the job as it is not possible for my husband to run the family with his income alone,” mentioned Anjuman Ara.

Farhana Islam, who works for a private firm in Mirpur, has been facing a problem off late. Her office has stopped the pick up and drop-off service.

“My travel costs have soared as I go to office by CNG-run three-wheelers. When I don't get any, I take a bus somehow,” said the resident of Zafarabad in Rayerbazar area.

A garment worker of Mugda, Mahfuza takes buses every day to reach her factory in Kakrail.

“Even if there are bomb attacks on buses, I've no other alternative to it. We want peace,” she said.