Our Correspondent
CHATTOGRAM, Aug 4: Commuters underwent extreme sufferings in Chattogram on Saturday as public vehicles remained off the streets since morning causing problems due to the ongoing student agitation for road safety that entered seventh day.
Transport leaders said they did not call any strike but the transport operators declined to run vehicles on the city streets fearing attack on those by the demonstrating students.
Office-goers in their thousand were seen staying in a long wait for buses and other modes of public transport from 8.00 am at Muradpur, Chawkbazar, Sholashahar Rail Gate 2, Kalurghat, GEC Intersection, WASA, Lalkhan Bazar, Dewanhat, Bahaddarhat, Anderkilla, Didar Market, New Market, Oxygen and other stations in the city.
There were public transports like gas-run auto-rickshaws, paddled rickshaws and auto-tempos on the streets but they were scanty in numbers and the operators charged double or even triple the normal fare hitting hard the commuters.
Despite Saturday being a part of the weekend, private offices, business establishments, readymade garment factories, different textile and steel mills, wholesale markets, Chittagong Port and Customs offices, factories in the Export Processing Zones and other private organisations remain open on the day.
People employed in these types of offices could not reach their workplaces on time despite waiting for vehicles on the streets for hours.
They held transport operators, police and the administration responsible for their sufferings and even reacted in different ways to the students who took to the streets and put up barricade at different points during their demonstration.
Mentionable, the government high-ups have called upon the demonstrating students to go back home as 'their demands for road safety are being acted upon'.
Hundreds of students from different schools and colleges in the city took to the streets in the morning and started checking documents including driving licence, fitness certificate and route permit.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (South) Shah Abdur Rauf, Officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station Md Mohsin and other high police officials went round the city streets to observe the existing traffic condition, a CMP official said.
He said the situation remained almost normal in the city and the students left the streets around 3.00 pm when the bus service started as usual.
Demonstrations were staged remarkably at the Rail Gate 2, GEC Intersection, Muradpur, Ruby Gate, Chittagong WASA, Dampara Police Line, Karnaphuli Shah Amanat Bridge point and Bahaddarhat intersection in the city.
Students in front of Chittagong WASA said the Home Minister urged them to stop agitation and demonstration 'as their demands have been met'; but they will not withdraw their programme until they have seen 'the assurance of meeting their demands has taken the concrete form'.
Ticket counters of different inter-district bus services at the GEC Circle, Station Road, Kadamtali Bus Terminal, Bahaddarhat Bus Terminal, Karnaphuli Bridge Bus Terminal and other stations were also seen closed till 3.00 pm on the day.
Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Shramik Federation Chattogram eastern zone president Mrinal Chowdhury said transport strike was not called by any of the associations.
The drivers and helpers have abstained from running vehicles in the city probably fearing trouble in case of failure to show documents to the demonstrators, he added.
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