People suffer as transport strike continues

Transport owners and workers enforced their ongoing indefinite strike on all roads in the district from Tuesday night, demanding a ban on plying of unauthorised vehicles.

On Sunday, they went on an indefinite strike only on four routes in the district. After an emergency meeting held in the office of Thakurgaon Transport Owners Association in the evening, Transport Owners and Workers Coordination Committee took the decision to enforce the strike on all roads in the district.

The coordination committee is comprised of the leaders of Thakurgaon Transport Owners Association, Thakurgaon Transport Workers' Union and Thakurgaon Truck and Tank Lorry Workers' Union. 

Buses went off all roads in the district while night coaches from other districts, including Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna and Faridpur, were forced to stop at different points by the supporters of the associations, causing untold suffering to the passengers.

The transport workers also blocked three wheelers and easy bikes on the roads. They brought out processions from Thakurgaon Old Bus stand, Art Gallery Intersection, Thakurgaon Intersection, chanting slogans against three wheelers, Nasimoan, Karimon, Bhatboti and human haulers.

Thakurgaon Transport Owners' Association President Ram Babu said they enforced the strike on all routes in the district as the district administration did not take any step to ban human haulers, Nasimon, Karimon and Bhatboti and battery-run easy bikes on the busy roads and highways.

Leaders of the coordination committee said the number of unauthorised vehicles is on the rise on roads and highways, posing risks of accident and causing huge losses to the bus owners.

Contacted, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Chandra Biswas said they are trying to resolve the issue as soon as possible.