Habiganj motor owners on strike protesting fresh attack

Habiganj motor owners continued their strike on the Sylhet-Habiganj route for the second day yesterday.
The motor owners went on strike on Friday protesting fresh attack on transport workers and buses at Sylhet bus terminal on Thursday afternoon.
The association's president Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury alleged that their buses were vandalised and some workers were beaten up at Sylhet Bus Terminal.
Earlier, we went on indefinite strike on 17 October but withdrew it 18 October night on assurance from the social welfare minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shahid and water transport minister Shahjahan Khan. But our workers were again attacked in Sylhet. So, we had no alternative, he said.
At a press conference in Habiganj Friday night he said the owners would also be compelled to enforce strike on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway within a couple of days.
Protesting the alleged attacks on 16 October on buses at Sylhet bus terminal, the owners' group went on indefinite strike the next day and put barricade on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway on the following day.
About 2000 vehicles remained stranded on the busy highway at Shaistaganj for 6 hours till 8:00 pm. It was cleared following the assurances from the divisional commissioner of Sylhet as well as from the two ministers that they would resolve things shortly.
He further alleged that owners of 'Sylhet-Habiganj Super Express' were trying to press 42 buses without route permit and other documents on the same route. Some of those buses were not allowed to enter Habiganj recently by their angry rivals.
However, president of the rival group Zamir Ahmed on Friday denied the allegations saying they had been demanding steps to bring discipline on the Habiganj-Sylhet route for long. The vehicles without route permit and proper documents should be withdrawn immediately, he said.
Sources said, the two groups of owners are locked in long rivalry over plying of buses on the Sylhet-Habiganj road. During the last six months, they pressed three strikes on the highway causing sufferings of the passengers and inconvenience to other vehicles.