Indefinite transport strike begins in Meherpur

Bus-truck owners and workers in Meherpur yesterday enforced an indefinite strike, demanding withdrawal of a case filed against a few staffs and a ban on plying of illegal battery-run 'easy bikes'.
Transports on all routes of the districts remained off the roads since morning, much to the sufferings of the commuters.
District Bus-Truck Owners and Workers Oikya Parishad at a meeting on Tuesday evening decided to go on an indefinite strike.
According to police, on September 24, a series of clashes took place between the bus workers and easy bike drivers when the latter were taking passengers parking their bikes on the main road in Judge Court area.
As the bus drivers on the road protested it, some easy bike owners beat up a worker of a bus.
Within moments, the two groups locked in fierce clashes in the town areas.
The bus workers ransacked around 40 Easy Bikes, while their rivals vandalised at least 10 buses.
After the incident, president of Meherpur District Easy Bike Association, also president of district Jubo League Sazzadul Islam filed a case against 200 people including District Bus-Truck Owners and Workers Oikya Parishad president Golam Rasul and general secretary Esken Ali.
“We demanded withdrawal of the case and ban on the easy bikes, but it is yet to be done," Golam Rasul told this correspondent.
Earlier, the same group called strikes on April 28 and August 12, demanding ban on easy bikes. The strikes were called off following assurances of the district administration.
Away in Thakurgaon, transport workers yesterday called off their indefinite strike on internal routes in the district after a 'fruitful' meeting between the transport owners-workers and representatives of the accused who assaulted the bus staffs.
At the meeting held at the office of Transport Owners' Association office on Tuesday night, the offenders 'regretted' for Sunday's incident, reports our correspondent.
The transport workers on Monday began an indefinite bus strike on Thakurgaon-Ranishankoil, Thakurgaon-Baliadangi and Thakurgaon-Ruhia roads protesting assault on bus staffs including a driver and three staffs of Mukta Enterprise by a bike rider in Dharmagarh Council area under Ranishankoil upazila on Sunday afternoon, following an altercation over giving side to the bike.