Public suffering to persist as transport strike to continue till Sunday

The ongoing transport strike across the country is unlikely to be lifted before Sunday, as a result, public suffering is set to continue till then.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Secretary General Khandaker Enayet Ullah, while talking to The Daily Star, said that there is little possibility of withdrawing the strike before Sunday.

When asked whether there was a dialogue with the government over the issue, the transport leader said, "We have a meeting on Sunday morning over refixing the bus fare."

Public and goods transport owners called an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday -- protesting the latest hike in fuel prices.

Meanwhile, people have been suffering in Dhaka and across the country as public transport movement has nearly come to a standstill.

Rustam Ali Khan, executive president of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, while talking to The Daily Star yesterday, said transport owners incurred huge losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has increased the toll for two bridges and now they hiked fuel price without any discussion with the transport owners, Rustam said.

They demanded that bus fare for various routes be adjusted according to fuel price hike.