Transport strike
BNP’s Sylhet rally plagued with transport strike
BNP’s Sylhet divisional rally, slated for November 19 at the Government Alia Madrasa field in the city, has been plagued with transport strikes called by several organisations.
Habiganj Motor Owners’ group on Thursday called for an indefinite strike on movement of buses, demanding an end to “administrative harassment” and halting illegal three-wheelers.
On the other hand, Sylhet district Workers’ Solidarity Council called a 12-hour strike from 6:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday on movement of all types of vehicles to press home their four-point demands.
Besides, Sylhet district Road Transport Owners’ Association also called a dawn to dusk strike on Saturday in Sylhet on their two-point demand including for not issuing any new license for CNG-run auto rickshaw.
Fazlur Rahman, president of Habiganj Motor Owners’ group, at a press conference at Habiganj municipality bus terminal on Thursday claimed that there was no link between their strike and the BNP rally.
Read more: BNP's rally the cue for Sylhet transport bodies to strike
He said they took the decision to enforce the strike in protest against the administrative actions to send back their buses from Salamatpur bus stand in Nabiganj on Thursday.
Several leaders of the group were present at the press conference.
On the other hand, Md Zakaria, general secretary of Sylhet district Workers Solidarity Council, said they would continue the strike until their four-point demand, including for giving permission to lift stones from all quarries in the district and stopping movement of three-wheelers on the highway, is met.
Accommodation and food were managed for BNP leaders and activists, who would join the rally from remote areas, party insiders informed.
Abdul Kaium, president of Sylhet district unit BNP, alleged that the transport organizations called the strikes under pressure from the government.
“No conspiracy will be able to halt the mass gathering of the party men,” he claimed.
BNP will hold its seventh divisional rally on November 19.
Read more: Commuters hit as 2-day bus strike begins in Khulna
Leaders and activists of Sadar upazila of the party had already been asked to come to the city a few days earlier. The same instruction was given to the upazila-level leaders and activists of the party.
BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional and big cities. The party will end its divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
BNP gears up for its 7th divisional rally in Sylhet
BNP is preparing to hold its seventh divisional rally in Sylhet city amid much enthusiasm on November 19, ignoring the threat of ‘arrests and harassment by the government authorities’.
The construction work of the stage for the rally started on Thursday at Sylhet Govt Alia Madrasa in Chowhatta area of the city.
District BNP leaders said they have given strategic instructions to the leaders and activists from the previous experiences. They were asked to arrange accommodation and food in their houses for the leaders and activists who will come from other districts to join the rally.
Read more: No more games in the name of election: Fakhrul at Faridpur rally
Apprehending transport strike ahead of the rally like the previous ones, the leaders and activists of Sadar upazila have already been asked to come to the city few days earlier. The same instruction was given to the upazila level leaders and activists of the party.
Central leaders will come to Sylhet on November 17. For this, the leaders and activists will take position at the venue from that day.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association and Sylhet District Bus Owners Association General Secretary Ziaul Kabir Palash said he has not received any information about any kind of transport strike in the district before November 19.
Read more: Strike halts bus services between Dhaka and 5 southern districts ahead of BNP's Faridpur rally
So far, he has not received any information about transport workers going on strike. “If any such decision is taken, the media will be informed in advance,” he added.
Expressing hope to hold the largest rally here like never before, Sylhet Metropolitan Member Secretary Miftah Siddiqui said the leaders who want to get nominated from BNP in the 19 seats of Sylhet division in the upcoming parliamentary elections are also campaigning to make the rally a success.
The party activists are facing various obstructions from the ruling party and administration, said Sylhet District BNP General Secretary Emran Ahmed Chowdhury.
“Despite all obstructions, people will make the rally in Sylhet a success,” he added.
He also hoped that the law enforcement agencies would provide full cooperation.
Read more: BNP’s Sylhet divisional rally on Nov 19 instead of 20
BNP leaders and activists here have also informed the police commissioner in writing to maintain peace and order, said Sylhet district BNP president Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury.
Besides, six committees have been formed on November 10 to make the rally a success, said Abdul Qayyum.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) Commissioner Nisharul Arif said the allegations of police raids on the houses of the BNP leaders and activists ahead of the rally are not true.
“Arresting the accused is a routine work of police. It is not the intention of the police to harass anyone unnecessarily,” said the SMP Commissioner.
As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
BNP will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
Commuters suffer as 38-hr transport strike begins in Faridpur ahead of BNP rally
Faridpur district bus workers and owners went on a 38-hour strike Friday morning amid BNP’s allegation that it was planned to thwart their rally, causing suffering to commuters.
The strike began from 6am and will end on Saturday 8pm.
On November 7, a letter signed by Golam Nasir, general secretary of the district's Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad, was sent to Dhaka Divisional Commissioner seeking ban on movement of illegal three-wheelers and battery-driven auto rickshaws on highways by November 10.
Golam Nasir said they were forced to go on strike as they did not get any positive response from the administration regarding their demands.
Movement of buses, including that of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), was halted in Faridpur this morning.
Read more: With transport strike in mind, BNP activists reach Faridpur days before rally
Passengers were seen waiting for public transport at the old bus stand, new bus stand and Imamuddin Square area of Faridpur city.
Transport worker Habibur said, "We are on strike as per our leaders’ directive. We have to follow the order of our leaders to earn our daily bread.”
However, the movement of three-wheelers and rented microbuses remained normal in the district.
Thousands gather in Barishal city to join BNP rally
Defying all challenges, BNP is ready to hold its fifth divisional rally in Barishal city on Saturday (November 05, 2022).
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies from different districts under the Barishal division have already reached the city, to join the rally.
Party leaders and activists have erected a 50ft long stage at the Bangabandhu Udyan where the rally is scheduled to begin at 2pm.
Also read: Barishal's Bangabandhu Park already a sea of BNP leaders, activists
Besides, 120 loudspeakers were also installed in and around the podium, said Khandakar Abul Hossain Limon, joint convener of the committee to prepare the stage for the Barishal BNP divisional rally.
Bus, launch, speedboat, three-wheeler movements in Barishal division have come to a halt over the last couple of days, ahead of the BNP rally.
Sudden suspension of public vehicle movement on roads and waterways have caused immense public suffering.
Also read: Barishal transport strike ahead of BNP rally hits commuters hard
The official reason behind the suspension of bus, three-wheeler, launch and speedboat movement could not be known yet.
As part of its move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
The organisers said the rally is meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuel, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Read More: Ishraque says motorcade attacked on the way to BNP’s Barishal rally
BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government — a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League.
Saturday’s rally will be the fifth by the BNP at the divisional level. The first one was held in Chattogram, the second one in Mymensingh, and the third and fourth in Khulna and Rangpur, respectively.
Barguna transport owners launch 2-day strike
Owners called for a two-day strike in Barguna from Friday, demanding that three-wheelers be banned from the highways.
Barguna Bus Owners Association General Secretary Md Sagir Hossain confirmed the matter to UNB on Thursday night.
“If the administration does not ban the illegal plying of three wheelers on the highways even after this two-day strike, we will go for an indefinite strike,” Sagir Hossain said.
Read more: Barishal transport strike ahead of BNP rally hits commuters hard
Barguna Deputy Commissioner (DC) Habibur Rahman said it was decided to ban the movement of three-wheelers and auto-rickshaws on the highway in the district law and order meeting.
“However, the number of police force required to stop three-wheelers on such a big highway is not available to the district police. So it cannot be stopped,” he added.
Meanwhile, Barguna District BNP Member Secretary Advocate Tarikuzzaman Titu said the government is adopting various tactics to obstruct people from joining the rally in Barishal. “They will not succeed and Barishal will turn into a human sea on Saturday.”
In Barishal, microbus, launch, speedboats, bus owners and three-wheeler owners will keep their transports off streets till Saturday evening, the day of BNP rally in the district.
A similar strike was also enforced ahead of BNP’s divisional rallies in Rangpur and Khulna, but thousands of party leaders, activists and supporters participated in the rallies overcoming the obstacles.
As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Read more: Goods transport strike in Sylhet continues for 2nd straight day
The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government--a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
The rally in Barishal will be the 5th one by the BNP at the divisional level as four others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna and Rangpur.
BNP rally begins defying transport strike in Rangpur
Thousands of leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies joined the party's divisional rally in Rangpur on Saturday (October 29, 2022) defying a transport strike.
The rally organised by Rangpur city unit BNP, formally began on Rangpur Collector Eidgah ground, around 12pm, two hours before the scheduled time, as the venue has already been packed with opposition activists.
An adequate number of police and other security officials have been deployed around the rally venue and at different points of the city to prevent any untoward incident.
Read more: Thousands gather in Rangpur city to join BNP’s anti-govt rally
The organisers said the rally was meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government--a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
‘Undeclared’ transport strike in Mymensingh ahead of BNP rally
The BNP said that an “undeclared” transportation strike was imposed in Mymensingh Division ahead of the party’s anti-government rally on Saturday.
BNP’s Organising Secretary Syed Imran Saleh Prince told UNB that such a strike was orchestrated by authorities to prevent the BNP activists and leaders from joining the rally on Saturday afternoon on the premises of the Polytechnic Institute in Mymensingh.
He said their party activists from different districts, including Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona and Kishoreganj, faced challenges to join the rally as the bus service remained suspended on inter-district routes “at the behest of the government” since morning.
But the bus operators said many bus companies suspended their operations fearing damage to their vehicles as such things happened during recent BNP rally in Chattogram.
“Our leaders and activists are still coming to the rally by walking or by motorcycles, personal cars or other smaller vehicles. Many private vehicles that were hired earlier to come to Mymensing suddenly declined to carry our people, showing an excuse of safety,” Prince told UNB.
As part of the BNP’s planned divisional rallies, the party’s Mymensingh city unit has arranged the rally that will formally begin at 2pm. It will be the party’s second divisional rally as the first one was held in Chattogram on October 12.
Mahbubur Rahman, General Secretary of Mymensingh District Motor Owners Association, told UNB that the vehicle owners stopped the transport service on safety grounds as many vehicles were vandalised during the BNP’s rally in Chhattogram.
Masum Ahmed Bhunya, Police Superintendent of Mymensingh, said they took adequate security measures to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incidents.
Also read: No obstacle can stand in front of BNP now: Fakhrul
On September 27, the BNP announced to hold public division-level rallies in 10 cities, in protest against the ongoing power crisis, unusual price hikes in daily essentials and the killing of five opposition activists in police firing in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore during anti-government protests by the party.
The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a huge gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
Barguna transport workers call off strike
Bus services returned to normal in Barguna district on Wednesday, with transport workers calling off their strike on Tuesday night.
The aggrieved transport workers called off their stir after the district administration assured to meet their demands, according to union leaders.
“We had a meeting with officials of the district administration on Tuesday night and they gave us an assurance to meet all our demands," said Kislu, president of Barguna district Bus, Minibus and Coach Owners' Association.
Read: Indefinite bus strike underway on Barguna-Dhaka route
"At the same time, the district administration officials requested us to suspend the strike in view of public inconvenience. So, we’ve decided to withdraw the indefinite strike," he added.
On Monday, the transport workers went on an indefinite strike in protest against extortion and assault of Barguna transport workers by leaders and activists of Barishal Rupatoli Bus Owners' Association.
Sylhet transport workers call off strike
Bus services returned to normal in Sylhet on Wednesday, with transport workers calling off their strike on Tuesday night.
The aggrieved transport workers called off their stir after the district administration assured them to meet their five-point demand, according to union leaders.
“We had a meeting with officials of the district administration around 8pm and they gave us an assurance to meet all our demands," said Ali Akbar Rajan, joint general secretary of the district bus, mini bus, coach, and microbus workers' union.
"At the same time, the district administration officials requested us to suspend the strike in view of the SSC examination. So, we’ve decided to withdraw the indefinite strike," he added.
Mainul Islam, president of district bus, minibus workers union, said that the district administration assured them to fulfill all their demands by October 15.
Also read: Sylhet Transport owners to go on strike from Tuesday
"In view of their assurance and considering the SSC examination and Durga Puja, we have decided to postpone the strike till October 15. We hope the demands will be met by then," he said.
On Tuesday, the transport workers went on an indefinite strike to press home their five demands, including an end to harassment by traffic cops and suspension of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
The unions also demanded that the damaged roads in the district should be repaired at the earliest and that a ban be enforced on the sales and operations of CNG-powered auto-rickshaws and electric rickshaws in Sylhet.
Sylhet Transport owners to go on strike from Tuesday
Sylhet District Road Transport Workers Coordinating Council consisting of 6 registered organizations called an indefinite strike in Sylhet from Tuesday to press for their five-point demand.All modes of public transport, including buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and freight trucks will stay off the roads in Sylhet from 6 am onwards, said a media statement, signed by Ali Akbar Rajan, joint general secretary of Sylhet District Bus Minibus Coach Microbus Workers Union."On September 5, "We submitted a memorandum over a five-point demand to the Home Minister and copies of the memorandum have been sent to all concerned sectors of Sylhet administration. As no initiative has been taken to meet those demands, all modes of public transport in Sylhet will be staying off the roads indefinitely from Tuesday as per our previously announced programme.”Their demands are: Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) commissioner and deputy commissioner (traffic) should be removed, illogical fines by traffic police should be stopped. Nazmul Alam Romen, who is gaining influence using the name of Sramik League, must be withdrawn from the representative of Labor Court in Sylhet; stone quarries should be reopened, dilapidated roads should be repaired quickly and the sale of new CNG-run auto-rickshaws must be stopped and the vehicles which have been sold should be given registered. At the same time, the movement of illegal vehicles should be stopped.