An association of transport owners in Chattogram have decided to operate buses in the city from Sunday 6 am, defying the ongoing nationwide strike against fuel price hike.
“We have decided to operate the bus services that are under association from Sunday," said Belayat Hossain, President of Chattogram Metropolitan Bus Owners’ Association. in a note to journalists Saturday evening.
The peaceful strike was for decreasing fuel price or else increasing the transportation fares but some unidentified people are picketing on roads disguised as transport workers, he said.
Also read: Transport strike disrupting goods delivery from Ctg port
“With the assistance of some unwanted people they are obstructing movement of CNG, autorickshaw, personal vehicles and industrial vehicles to upset common people. This issue made us take up the decision of continuing the bus services," said the president.
Earlier around 9am some transportation workers blocked the Tigerpass intersection in the city and obstructed autorickshaws and other vehicles from moving.
Some victims complained they restricted public transportations and personal vehicles from moving.
Around 11am police removed the workers from the road.
Meanwhile, the nationwide transport strike has seriously disrupted the movement of inbound and outbound goods-laden vehicles of Chattogram Port, bringing goods delivery almost to a halt.
Around 4,000 vehicles used to ply from off-docks 19 but now the number has come down to half, while that of vehicles carrying export goods from different factories to the port have also declined sharply, said Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA).
Also read: Day 2 of bus strike: Commuters' pain is auto drivers' gain
A highly-placed source at Chattogram Container Terminal and New Mooring Terminal, said the delivery of imported goods from the port has declined to 5% in these two days.
On Wednesday (Nov 3), the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene to Tk 80 from Tk 65 at the retail level.
The next day, convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council Md Rustom Ali announced their decision to go on indefinite strike, following an emergency meeting.