Faridpure Live: Plying of buses and minibuses in Faridpur has been suspended since Friday morning causing immense suffering to commuters in the district town. Faridpur Transport Owners Workers Unity Council enforced the 38-hour long non-stop transport strike demanding the stop of three-wheelers on the highway.

Faridpur District BNP has alleged that the transport strike was instigated by the government and local administration ahead of the main BNP's divisional grand rally in the city on Saturday afternoon.

On the first day of the strike, the sufferings of long-distant commuters mounted from the morning. Commuters were seen waiting for buses and minibuses at the Old bus stand, New Bus Stand and Rajbari road crossing in Faridpur city from 9:00 am to early in the afternoon.

Visiting the New Bus Stand, this correspondent found that hundreds of buses and minibuses kept standing at the terminal. Transport workers were either watching television sitting inside the tea stalls, or playing carom boards and ludu.

Talking to the Daily Observer, Khalil Mia, a transport worker, said, "We don't know why we are observing the transport strike. Our leaders told us not to ply buses and minibuses for two days. But, our families will have to starve if our incomes remain to stop. We'll have to face great difficulties on these two days."

This correspondent also met one Shafiqur Rahman at the New Bus Stand. He was leaving for Doulatdia Ghat along with his wife and child boarding a three-wheeler being failed to find any bus. He said his mother-in-law was gravely sick. So, they must go to her by today at any cost.

Visiting the Old Bus Stand, this correspondent met Shamser Mia, a worker from Rangpur. He did not find any work over the last two days. So, he was waiting for a bus to go to the adjacent district of Magura for work. He came to Dikrir Char union under Faridpur Sadar a week ago to work in a maize field.

Shamser Mia said his wife and two children were starving at home due to a lack of food.

Several other workers said it was not possible to cross such a long distance by battery-operated autorickshaws. Besides, they would have to pay more fare. "So, we are waiting here for buses."

On Monday (November 7) last, Faridpur Bus Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad sent a letter to the divisional commissioner asking him to stop the movement of all types of three-wheelers on the highways. It was stated in the letter that if their demand was not met by November 10, they would have no alternative but to keep all kinds of buses out of the roads from 6:00 am on November 11 to 8:00 pm on November 12 (38 hours).

Faridpur Bus Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad general secretary Golam Nasir said, "We have been forced to go on strike receiving no positive response from the administration regarding our demand."

Dhaka, 11 November (campuslive24.com)//BL