RANGPUR, Feb 1: Around 14,000 transport workers in Rangpur district are passing days in acute misery as they have become unemployed owing to prolonged blockade and shutdown enforced by BNP led 20 party alliance.
A good number of transport workers including conductors, drivers and helpers of buses, trucks and pick up vans are in severe difficulty with their family members. Many of them are passing hard days in near starvation.
While visiting different bus and truck terminals in the district this correspondent found a large number of buses and trucks sitting idle in rows.
Akmal (50), a conductor of a passenger bus at Rangpur Bus Terminal told The Financial Express on Sunday that they are in serious trouble due to ongoing blockade and shutdown. He said usually he could earn Tk 350 to Tk 400 during normal days. But at present he as well as other workers are suffering much as they have no income on account of lack of job, "If this situation continues how will we survive?," he lamented.
Faridul Islam (38), a helper of a passenger bus at Rangpur bus terminal told FE that their misery knows no bounds. "Our political parties do not think about us, he said." He alongwith four members of his family are passing days in acute sufferings half fed and some time almost unfed as he has not enough money to buy food, he said.
Expressing disgruntlement a number of transport workers said, they became hostage and worst sufferers of political programmes like shut down and blockade, suffering financially and in many occasion even getting injured or losing lives but the political parties have no time to think of them, they added.
Talking to The Financial Express Some transport workers also said, due to prolonged blockade and hartal they are in uncertainty about their income. Many of them are being forced to borrow money from local money lenders and micro-credit organisations on condition of giving higher interest. But they do not know whether they will be able to repay the loans or not, as their income has become uncertain due to frequent blockade and shutdown, they added.
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Transport workers face untold miseries with no income in blockades
Our Correspondent | Published: February 02, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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