Although a latest petrol-bomb attack on a bus caused a bizarre tragedy and stoked up fears, inter-district bus owners decided to increase their services on six northern routes at government's strong escort assurance from today (Wednesday).
Transport operators said at a meeting between the government and the leaders of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association (BBTOA) at Gabtoli Bus Terminal yesterday (Tuesday) ministers assured them of providing safety escorts.
During the ongoing month-long blockade and periodic general strikes, a severe transport problem has gripped the people of upcountry northern districts as attacks on buses and trucks scared the operators off.
"This is worse than in any other districts of the country," one of the transport owners said.
The government's crisis-management step came at a time when, due to the staggering blockade and violence stemming from the political action, more than 20,000 inter-district and intercity buses have been lying idle at major bus terminals in Dhaka.
Owners have to count Tk100-million loss per day while 0.01 million people involved with the transport sector remain jobless, according to sector-insiders.
And many of those who took risks of driving out despite highway hazards came under terrible attacks, resulting in human losses, too.
According to reports, at least 24 people have so far succumbed to their burn injuries following petrol-bomb attacks while many others suffered burns.
The casualties include the seven who burnt to death in a terrible firebomb attack on a bus on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Comilla's Chouddhagram area in the early hours of Tuesday.
Sohel Talukder, President of the BBTOA, said, "In the meeting with ministers we sought escort security on six routes from Dhaka to North Bengal districts."
The routes are: Dhaka-Pabna-Ishwardi-Bheramara, Dhaka to Kushtia-Benapole, Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Bogra-Naogaon, Dhaka-Dinajpur-Birampur and Dhaka to Rangpur-Nilphamari.
Present among the ministers at the meeting were Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaaman Khan Kamal and State Minister for LGRD Moshiur Rahman Ranga.
The Inspector-General of Police and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner were also present.
Amid the blockade, 800 to 1,000 buses are leaving the Mahakhali terminal per day out of its more than regular 5,000 buses for northern districts nearby Dhaka. Buses on northern long-distance routes from Dhaka are less than that of southern and eastern districts.
The BBTOA Senior Vice President, Babu Ramesh Chandra, said more than 6,000 buses run from Dhaka to greater Mymensingh districts every day and, on average, 17,000 buses ply from Dhaka to Sylhet, Chittagong, Barisal and Khulna divisional districts.
"As the ministers have assured of providing security, so the number of buses may increase to the northern districts. But it's uncertain to say what the actual situation will be," he said.
Khandaker Rafiqul Hossain, President of the Association of Bus Companies (ABC), said there are more than 7,000 intercity buses in Dhaka. But, currently, during blockade, only 30 per cent buses ply the city thoroughfares.
He said, "We are not getting enough passengers and there is fear for homicidal attack."
A staff member of Scania, a deluxe bus service, at its own counter in Malibagh said, "We are worst affected in the blockade due to bank loan and overhead costs."
He lamented that the owners of many deluxe air-conditioned buses have borrowed money from banks and currently they are losing money every day.
During spot visit to the main bus terminals in Dhaka, the BBTOA and the bus employees' welfare associations were found jointly arranging free lunch for the jobless drivers, conductors, helpers and others.
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