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Dhaka-bound trips turn nightmare

Thousands suffer as buses, launches cancel trips; passengers heading for capital forced to get down from trains at Tangail, Joydevpur; city people face transport crisis

Staff Correspondent
Thousands of people heading for the capital got stranded in many parts of the country yesterday, as the government apparently restricted movement of buses, launches and trains ahead of today's "march for democracy" by the BNP-led opposition.
Leaders of the ruling Awami League, local administration and law enforcers asked transport owners to keep their vehicles off the roads, warning them of troubles on the way to Dhaka.
The sudden restriction kept most districts almost
cut off from the capital, causing untold sufferings to people. Moreover, checks and searches by law enforcers at different points added to their woes.
As hundreds of passengers thronged terminals in the capital and elsewhere in the morning, they found to their utter surprise that no bus or launch would leave for or from Dhaka.
According to transport operators, around 86,000 large and small buses ply across the country. But only a few buses ran on the major highways to the capital yesterday.
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Many train passengers travelling to the capital were subjected to ordeal, as they were asked to get off halfway without giving any reason.
About 10,000 train passengers heading for Dhaka were asked to disembark at different points in Tangail, Joydevpur, Tongi and Mymensingh. They struggled to find any other means of transport to make it to the capital as transport owners had stopped bus services.
Only one of the 51 Dhaka-bound trains from different districts reached the city since Friday midnight.
In the capital, most public vehicles were kept off the streets, causing problems to hundreds of commuters. Many office-goers were seen waiting for buses for long at different points.
Talking to The Daily Star at Gabtoli bus terminal, Belal Hossain, an employee of a private firm, said he had waited for a bus for several hours at Farmgate and finally travelled to Gabtoli by a rickshaw for double the usual fare.
On condition of anonymity, a staff of Darshana Bilas Paribahan at the bus station said they suspended their services on instructions from the bus owners' association. The transport company mainly operates on Dhaka-Chuadanga, Dhaka-Jhenidah and Dhaka-Magura routes.
Shakil Mahmood, who works at a private company, said," I waited for a bus for nearly an hour. Then I tried to hire a CNG-run autorickshaw. But it proved very difficult as many others were also looking for auto-rickshaws.
"Finally, I reached my office around two and a half hours later," said Shakil, who travelled from Uttara to Karwanbazar.
Cashing in on the situation, many autorickshaw drivers charged extra fares.
Shakila Sharmin, a banker, said, "I usually travel from Mohammadpur to Motijheel by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw for around Tk 130toTk
150 . But today all auto-rickshaw drivers asked for Tk250toTk300."
Speaking to The Daily Star, many transport owners admitted that they didn't operate buses on instructions from government high-ups. But, none of them wanted to be quoted.
They said pro-government transport leaders on Friday night asked them not to operate buses to and from the capital.
A number of bus and launch owners said they suspended services, as law enforcers "advised" them to do so for security reasons.
Pro-ruling party transport leader Khandaker Enayet Ullah said, "Many transport owners have reduced the number of vehicles plying to and from Dhaka in fear of violence.
Besides, police had also requisitioned many buses for using them during the election, said Enayet, also secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity.
However, Rafiqul Hossain Kajol, president of the Association of Bus Companies, alleged that pro-Awami League transport owners and workers forced many bus operators to stop the services.
"They [pro-AL men] beat up transport workers at Gabtoli, Mohakhali and some other spots, where the workers tried to operate buses," alleged Kajol.
Romesh Chandra Ghosh, managing director of Shyamoli Paribahan, said they stopped running buses since yesterday morning in fear of violence.
Meanwhile, road transport associations called a two-day strike from yesterday morning in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions, protesting the recent vandalism and arson attacks on buses by the opposition men. They also demanded arrest of the attackers.
In Lalmonirhat, not a single bus left for the capital since Friday night though tickets were sold to many passengers in advance.
Asadul Islam Lavlu, owner of Aninda
Paribahan, said, "We are not running buses on instructions from the local administration."
Lalmoni Express Train had been halted at a station in the district since Friday, reports our correspondent.
On administrative orders, bus service had been suspended in Sylhet since 7:30pm on Friday.
Tera Mia, secretary of Dhaka-Sylhet Luxury Coach Sramik Union, said, "Unwritten restrictions were imposed on running buses and coaches to the capital."
Fearing vandalism at different points on routes to the capital, the leaders of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity also asked them to suspend the services, he said.
The union leader said police had also asked them not to operate buses to Dhaka on securitygrounds.
Similar picture was seen in other districts as well.
River communications between the capital and different districts were mostly suspended, as launch owners had cut down the number of vessels to and from Dhaka.
Preferring anonymity, a launch owner said ruling party high-ups had asked launch owners to suspend services to prevent opposition men from coming to Dhaka to take part in today's programme.
"It is not possible for us to run businesses ignoring their (ruling party men] instructions," said the launch owner.
Usually, 50 to 60 launches carrying around 40,000 passengers arrive at Sadarghat launch terminal from different southern districts every day, but only 19 vessels arrived yesterday, said Siaful Haque Khan, joint director (port) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
Ferry service on Mawa-Kewrakandi route was normal but speedboat services on the route remained suspended.