Passengers suffer in 8 districts

Hundreds of passengers suffered a travel chaos yesterday as the transport workers in eight districts of Rajshahi division enforced a 72-hour strike to realise their eight-point demand.
The workers, however, called off the strike in the evening after a meeting with the communications and shipping ministers at the Ministry of Communications in the capital, meeting sources said.
Bangladesh Transport Workers' Federation had enforced the strike from 6:00am.
The demands include issuance of appointment letters for the transport workers. It has been a practice in the private transport companies that the owners employ drivers or other workers without any job documentation.
Witnesses said the agitating workers had not allowed any bus, truck or human hauler to ply the roads in Bogra, Sirajganj, Pabna, Joypurhat, Natore, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts.
Besides, road communications between Dhaka and eight other districts of Rangpur division were suspended as these routes cross Bogra and Sirajganj.
Battery-run auto-rickshaw drivers made a brisk business as they charged higher fares to carry passengers on inter-district routes from Rajshahi, complained commuters.
Contacted, Anwar Parvez, publicity secretary of the federation's Rajshahi division unit, said the government had agreed to fulfil five demands of the workers and assured them of considering the rest.
The other demands of the transport workers include hiking salary and allowances, easing condition for renewing licences, banning three-wheelers (Nasimon, Karimon) on city streets and highways and stop of plying overloaded trucks and lorries.
The bus service between the divisional city and the capital resumed at 10:00pm, according to bus operators.