Protests including transport strikes demanding repairs of rundown roads and highways are spreading across the country.
After transport strikes on the Dhaka–Mymensingh, Dhaka–Tangail, Dhaka–Munshiganj highways and regional routes in Rangpur and Faridpur, the transport operators in Kushtia on Sunday called an indefinite transport strike from today on the Kushtia–Ishwardi route.
The transport owners and workers on Sunday formed human chains halting traffic for 10 minutes at two points in Barisal demanding immediate repairs of roads in the region.
Leaders of the Kushtia Bus Owners' Association and Kushtia Transport Sramik Oikya Parishad at a joint press conference on Sunday announced that they would continue the strike until the roads were repaired. They said that plying vehicles on these roads and highways had become impossible.
Shihab Uddin, president of the Kushtia Bus Owners' Group, said that they would enforce the strike from 6:00am Monday, suspending bus service between Kushtia and other parts of the country, including Dhaka.
Bus service on Dhaka-Munshiganj route, however, resumed on Sunday after four days of suspension.
On August 17, three trucks fell in potholes at Syedpur and Panchabati triggering 10 kilometres of tailbacks on both sides of the road.
In the name of repairs, the authorities had put some bricks on the road at a few points.
A source claimed that the communications minister was scheduled to visit the rundown road but he did not come. Villagers of Sayedpur and Muktarpur in Narayanganj and Munshiganj districts were preparing for protest at the appalling condition of roads.
Our correspondent in Barisal reported that transport owners and workers on Sunday morning formed human chains halting traffic for 10 minutes at two points of Barisal. They submitted a memorandum to the local administration demanding immediate repairs of roads in the region.
Barisal Bus Malik Samity, Barisal-Patuakhali Bus-Minibus Malik Samity and Barisal Sarak Paribahn Sramik Union jointly organised the programme at Nathullabad and Rupatali central bus terminals.
Source : New Age
