Business feels the pinch
Transport owners and workers under the banner of Uttarbanga Truck, Tank-lorry O Pick-up Malik-Sramik Oikya Parishad have extended their earlier declared 48-hour work abstention in 16 northern districts under Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions for further 24 hours till 6:00am of Wednesday, triggering the sufferings of farmers, traders, and people in general.
Our Bogra correspondent reports: The owners and workers of trucks and similar vehicles held a press briefing at Bogra Press Club yesterday afternoon, where they announced the extension of their work abstention in 16 northern districts.
Earlier, on May 13, Uttarbanga Truck, Tank-lorry O Pickup Malik-Sramik Oikya Parishad declared a 48-hour work abstention from 6:00am of May 21 to press for their seven-point demand including end to police harassment on the highways and extortion in weight scaling centres, stoppage of plying of illegal vehicles and ensuring easy system for getting new driving license.
Visiting different areas of the district, loaded trucks and pick-ups were seen standing on the roads and highways.
In Mohasthangarh vegetable market, much less than expected amount of vegetables were seen.
The ongoing strike of truckers brought woe to the growers and traders of vegetables and fruits in Pabna district, reports our correspondent.
Protesting the strike, farmers of Ishwardi upazila in the district, one of the biggest vegetable and fruit producing areas of the country, spread their produce at Amotola point of Dhaka-Kushtia highway yesterday.
Over 100 to 150 truckloads of vegetables are usually supplied to different places of the country from Amtola vegetable Haat of Ishwardi every day but the items are now rotting, said Siddikur Rahman Moyez, president of Farmers Welfare Association in the area.
Our Dinajpur correspondent reports: Prices of litchi and vegetables have gone down alarmingly in Dinajpur, Joypurhat and Naogaon as the supply was badly disrupted on the second day of the transport strike in 16 northern districts.
Supply of imported goods from Hili Land Port is also affected due to the strike.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports: Around 125 trucks loaded with different imported goods, especially stones, entered Burimari Land Port from Bhutan and India but those remained stranded there due to the transport strike, said Sayeduzzaman Sayed, an importer and exporter.
The government incurred a loss of about Tk 40 lakh in revenue as export and import through the land port was disturbed due to the strike yesterday, said Mazibar Rahman, superintendent of Customs at the land port.
Our Chapainawabganj correspondent reports: Export and import activities remained normal at Sonamasjid Land Port but trucks are not leaving the port due to the strike, said Harunur Rashid, secretary of the land port clearing and forwarding agents association.
A large number of vehicles were seen standing at Neyamatpur and Kalitola truck terminals in Saidpur and Nilphamari municipalities yesterday, reports our Nilphamari correspondent.
Vegetables could not be loaded and transported to the capital and other big cities and it caused a drastic fall of prices of the perishable items, said Belal Hossain, president of Nilphamari Boro Bazar traders association.
Our Staff correspondent adds from Rajshahi: The truckers' work abstention caused losses to traders of seasonal fruits including mango, vegetables and fish in the district. The strike also created pressure on the stock of petroleum in the district.
Our Natore correspondent reports: Perishable goods like fruits, vegetables and fish are rotting due to the transport strike.
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