Indefinite transport strike on road to Burimari land port
Lalmonirhat District Bus and Minibus Workers Union yesterday started an indefinite strike on Lalmonirhat-Burimari land port route yesterday, protesting vandalising of a bus and assault of a bus worker at Barokhat bus stand in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat.
Nilphamari district road transport authority at a meeting on Tuesday decided to take legal action if the district bus owners' association tries to force passenger to follow their 'unjust timetable'.
Yesterday's bus strike on Lalmonirhat-Burimari route caused untold suffering to the commuters on the route, reports a correspondent from Lalmonirhat.
Lalmonirhat District Bus and Minibus Workers Union sources said the people of Barokhata village vandalised a passenger bus of Seemanto Paribahan and assaulted its worker Kanchon Sarker following a feud over bus fare on Tuesday evening. Injured Kanchon was admitted to Hatibandha Upazila Health Complex.
Protesting the incident and demanding arrest of the 'identified' attackers, Lalmonirhat Bus and Minibus Workers Union started an indefinite bus strike on Lalmonirhat-Burimari land port route yesterday.
The strike will continue until their demand is met, said union leaders.
Several bus workers including Kanchon Sarker, Anwar Hossain and Mohubar Ali alleged that some people try to travel on buses for less fare or without any fare, claiming that they belong to Barokhat village, the native village of a state minister.
Lalmonirhat bus and minibus sramik union president Aminul Islam said bus workers decided to go for an indefinite bus strike yesterday as they have been facing misbehaviour of local people at Barokhata bus stand for long.
Local people, on the other hand, alleged that some bus drivers and workers do not stop at Barokhata bus stand while a section of bus workers always demand higher amounts of fare, violating fare chart.
Our Nilphamari Correspondent adds: A meeting of the district road transport authority (RTA) held at the deputy commissioner's office on Tuesday afternoon decided that legal action will be taken if the district bus owners' association tries to force passenger buses from and to the district to follow their 'unjust timetable'.
Earlier on the day, Citizens' Rights Preservation Committee brought out a big procession in the town demanding cancellation of the bus owners association's decision to impose restriction on the movement of Dhaka-bound buses from the district.
The bus owners association recently directed the authorities of Dhaka-bound day and night coaches to leave their counters and start journey from the district within 7:30am and night coaches within 9:00pm every day. They also directed the district-bound day and night coaches from Dhaka to reach the district within 7:00pm and 4:00am respectively.
Men of the bus owners association recently detained several Dhaka-bound buses at Saidpur bus terminal and allegedly misbehaved with the passengers as the buses did not follow the so-called timetable.
The district administration and police had to interfere to free the buses and passengers.
In conformity with the desire of a large number of passengers in the district, leaders of Citizens' Rights Preservation Committee demanded that Dhaka-bound coaches be allowed to start from the district every hour.
They also demanded allowing government-owned BRTC buses to ply all long routes including Chittagong, Comilla, Mymensing and other important places of the country.
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