Ordeal for long route buses, trucks: Tk 2.0b loss per day

Transport workers of private buses, trucks and covered vans are now struggling for survival due to the ongoing blockade, started from January 6, as it has directly affected their livelihood, insiders said.
When transportation in the capital city seems to be almost normal and a few bus and trucks of long route have started operation under police escort protection, most of the transport owners are in a fix. The ruling party is pressurising them for plying their vehicles while opposition activists remain on the highways to block their movement.
Bus and truck owners have termed it as a 'sandwiched state' saying that it has started bringing the transport sector to near collapse.   
Transport workers including drivers, supervisors, helpers, conductors and ticketing booth workers are passing a hard time due to the political turbulence.  
Md Mehedi Hossain Sobuj, a supervisor of Nabil Paribahan, a private bus operator, told the FE over cell phone that they have no salary now-a-days.
 "Our salary is based on a trip. A supervisor gets Tk 500 for round trip while a helper gets Tk 450 and driver Tk 1,150 for the same job," he said.
"I had a half trip on January 5 and from then on, I am sitting idle and maintaining family from little savings of my wife," said Mr Sobuj, who maintains a five-member family. 
"I've no idea about what I will do if the situation continues like this," he said.
Rubel Hossain, a helper of north-west region- based SR Paribahan, told the FE that his four-member family depends on his earning of Tk 1,400-1,500 a week.
He said: "We become worst victims of political programmes like shutdown and blockade and on many occasions, even get injured or lose our lives but the political parties never think of us".
Rubel said their salaries are cut if a bus is vandalised.
Pabna District Truck Owners Association president Shamsur Rahman Manik told the FE: "We are trying to encourage the owners to continue plying of vehicles, considering the statement of the home-minister who has ensured police protection for the trucks".
"But traders are not willing to transport their goods fearing any incidents of arson," Mr Manik said.
He said a truck of Pabna, laden with coal, was vandalised at Kansat area in Chapainawabganj district on January 8. This has created panic among the truck owners.
Secretary of Bangladesh Anta-Zila Covered Van O Truck Chalak Union, an organisation of drivers in the country Md Millat Hossain said 47,000 members of their union are passing a tough time.
He said many of the drivers are plying vehicles taking high risks. He said drivers have no fixed salary and most of them get 10-12 per cent of fare per trip.
He informed that in normal days, nearly 80,000 trucks and covered vans move in the country which have been reduced by more than 70 per cent.
Owner of a leading private bus company told the FE the government had told them to ply vehicles while the opposition party activists are on the highways to stop them.
The private transporters are now trapped in a 'sandwiched condition'.
He urged the political parties to come to a compromise for the sake of the people.
"Economic activities involve production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and smooth transportation is a must for the distribution process", said economist Golam Hafiz Kennedy.
He pointed out that it is a peak trading time for Aman crop, vegetables and fertiliser for Boro cultivation.
"The disruption in transportation has been affecting economic activities badly," he commented.
"As a consequence, price of agro products is being reduced at farm level hurting the farmers while it is increasing in cities affecting urban consumers. Production of manufacturing industries is also declining as factories are not getting raw materials due to halt in transportation," he said.
"Producers, consumers and transporters are the worst victims of the ongoing political turbulence", he added.
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed said transport, manufacturing and tourism sectors are the worst victims of the ongoing blockade.
He said 0.2 million vehicles are remaining idle while 2.0 million workers are now jobless. The transport sector is incurring Tk 2.0 billion loss per day, he said.
Panic and tension have gripped the people across the country for the last few days as the main political parties are now engaged in political confrontation over the last national general election held on January 5, 20014.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance has called for indefinite blockade from January 6.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com