Transport workers in Sylhet have called for an indefinite strike from Today (12 July), after calling a strike on the Sylhet-Tamabil regional highway, demanding arrest of people involved in hindering movement of buses.
The strike, enforced by Sylhet District Road Transport Workers Union protesting locals' resistance following Friday's tragic accident that killed five people, resulted in a halt of traffic movement, causing immense suffering for passengers.
The leaders of the organisation have said all vehicular movement, including buses and minibuses, will be halted for an indefinite period from 6:00am to press home their demand for uninterrupted bus movement on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway and the arrest of Kamal Ahmed, Jaintapur upazila chairman.
President of Sylhet District Bus-Minibus Workers Union Moinul Islam said, "We have been on strike on the highway for the last two days. But as our demands were not met, an indefinite strike was announced for transport workers across Sylhet from Wednesday. All the transport organisations have united with our movement. So, no vehicle will run on any road in Sylhet."
Earlier on Friday evening, five people were killed and two others injured as a Jaflong-bound bus crashed into a battery-run three-wheeler on the highway near Darbast Bazar at Jaintapur.
Later on Saturday evening, the local people of greater Jainta that included Jaintapur, Goainghat and Kanaighat upazilas and two unions of Companiganj upazila, held an emergency meeting and decided to resist movement of buses on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway on Sunday protesting at the Friday’s accident.
They alleged that the accident was caused by reckless driving of the bus.
Jaintapur Upazila Parishad chairman Kamal Ahmed, also president in the upazila unit of the ruling Awami League, said that the meeting also demanded steps against the unskilled and unregistered drivers having no licence to drive any motorised vehicles.
He said that they did not have any objection to solve the crisis through social discussion.
‘The transport workers’ union leaders, however, did not contact us so far and not express their interest to sit with us,’ Kamal added.
He also claimed that all modes of transports, but the buses, were plying the highway and the connecting roads in the greater Jainta like other days, despite the strike of the transport workers.
