Indefinite transport strike in Habiganj

Habiganj Central Bus Terminal. Photo-Collected

Habiganj District Road Transport Workers Union and District Ambulance Owners-Workers Association have started an indefinite transport strike in the entire district with 9-point demands including ambulance parking facility in Sadar Hospital premises, stop police harassment. As a result, the people going to the destination have suffered since morning.

The strike started on Sunday (March 19) from 6 am. Due to traffic stoppage, the common people have suffered greatly. They are also expressing anger.

It has been seen on the ground that many passengers come to the municipal bus terminal and return without getting the vehicle. They were expressing frustration that they could not go to the destination for urgent work. Many people try to go to the destination by paying several times more fare.

Bank officer came to Habiganj Municipal Bus Terminal to go to Madhavpur. Faiz Uddin He said, 'I will go to work in the morning, now I come and see that there is no bus. Thus it is not right to stop running of buses without prior notice. We common passengers are suffering due to this.

President of Habiganj District Road Transport Workers Union. Sajib Ali said, "Although there is a place to keep an ambulance in the hospital premises, the authorities are not allowing us to keep an ambulance." So we want to be given a specific stand. Also we have some other problems. We have given nine demands to the administration to solve them.

The strikers said that at least 40 private ambulances are transporting patients to Habiganj Sadar Hospital. Recently, the authorities have banned ambulance parking in the hospital premises. The District Ambulance Owners Association has been on strike for a week by stopping emergency services in protest. In solidarity with this strike, the District Road Transport Workers' Union held an emergency meeting on Saturday (March 18) night and called for a transport strike in the entire district.

However, the hospital authorities say that traffic congestion is caused due to ambulance parking everywhere in the hospital premises. No vehicle with many critically ill patients can reach the emergency department on time. Besides, drivers engage in various criminal activities and spoil the environment of the hospital. Due to these reasons, parking has been banned in the hospital.

Meanwhile, all journalists including Habiganj Press Club rejected the strike as unreasonable and inhumane. At the same time it was decided to boycott their press conference.

In an emergency general meeting at Habiganj Press Club auditorium at 8 pm on Saturday, it was decided to boycott all news of the ambulance drivers' movement in protest against the anarchy. Journalists working in Habiganj attended the emergency general meeting under the chairmanship of Habiganj Press Club President Mohammad Nahij and General Secretary Pradip Das Sagar.

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