Sylhet cut off as transport strikes begin
Ahead of the BNP rally in Sylhet city, transport strikes in Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts have virtually isolated the division from the rest of the country.
Although the transport strike for Sylhet district is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday), no long-distance buses left Sylhet city since morning today.
This "undeclared" transport strike of long-distance buses caused immense trouble to commuters who planned their travel for today, reports our Sylhet correspondent.
The correspondent visited Kadamtali Bus Terminal area, Humayun Rashid Chattar and Dargah Gate area in the city, where ticket counters of long-distance buses were closed.
In conversation with a few staffers of ticket counters and buses, the correspondent found that no long-distance buses left Sylhet since this morning.
One Ashok Ranjan Deb, a Malaysia-bound person, said, "I bought a flight ticket three days ago and considering the transport strike on Saturday, I planned to travel to Dhaka today. But now I see that no long-distance buses will leave Sylhet."
Like Ashok, many people who planned their travels for Friday considering the Saturday strike, are returning from the counter without a ticket.
Meanwhile, only a handful number of inter-district buses were at the terminal while only a few buses have come to Sylhet from other upazilas in the district.
Contacted, Jiaul Kabir, general secretary of Sylhet District Bus Owners' Association, said, "No long-distance buses are going to Dhaka or other destinations as transport strike in Habiganj and Moulvibazar is in effect and that's the way out of the division."
Meanwhile, commuters in Moulvibazar have been facing immense trouble since this morning owing to the transport strike which started in the district from today.
Many people have been returning from the bus stand as they were unable to travel to their destinations.
Other than that, many commuters who absolutely had to get to their destination had to opt for alternative methods—resorting to bikes, vans and such.
Leaders of Moulvibazar Bus-Minibus and Truck Covered Van Owners Association announced the strike yesterday evening demanding closure of auto-rickshaw registration and construction of a permanent truck stand in the district town.
The strike will continue till 6 pm tomorrow.