Published on 01:04 PM, November 15, 2015

Commuters suffer in Rajshahi transport strike

Star file photo showing buses lying stranded at Shiroil bus stand in Rajshahi as the transport owners begin an indefinite strike.

An indefinite transport strike imposed in Rajshahi district from this morning caused acute sufferings for commuters.

In addition to the prevailing transport crisis, there is no scheduled train from the district to Dhaka this afternoon, reports our Rajshahi correspondent.

Rajshahi District Motor Workers’ Union called the strike demanding withdrawal of illegal vehicles – human hauliers, three-wheelers – from the highways.

The organisation has been threatening the government with agitation for some time if their demand is not met. Last afternoon, they called for indefinite strike.

“The indefinite strike began from 5:00am. We gave several ultimatums earlier. But the authorities did not pay heed to our demand,” Mahtab Hossain, general secretary of Rajshahi District Bus Owners’ Association, told The Daily Star.

A passenger at the bus stand, Mohona Khatun, is scheduled to sit for admission test of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia tomorrow.

She told Bangla daily Prothom Alo she will not be able to sit for the exam if she starts for Kushtia tomorrow morning. If she cannot manage today, she will miss the tests.