Writ seeks half fares for students

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Wednesday seeking its directive upon the concerned bodies of the government to implement half fares for students using any mode of transport--buses, launches and trains--across the country.
Md Eunus Ali Akond, a Supreme Court lawyer, submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the High Court also requesting it to issue a ruling upon the respondents to explain as to why they should not be directed to implement half fares for students in all government and private buses, launches and trains across the country.
Secretaries of road transport and bridges, shipping, railways and home ministries, and inspector general of police have been made respondents in the petition.
In the petition, Mr Eunus Ali said that Covid-19 pandemic has reduced the income of students' guardians over the last two years, and they are having difficulty in paying for their children's tuition fees.
In this situation, bus fares have been doubled and therefore, the students are waging a movement. The students' demand for reducing bus fare is logical, Eunus Ali Akond said in the petition.
"In our country millions of students have dropped every year due to insufficient income from their families. According to Article 17 of the Constitution it is the government's responsibility to take proper initiatives for free and compulsory education for the students."
But the government's step regarding bus fare hike forced the students into street protesting, the petition also read.
Earlier the half or discounted fare was introduced, but now it has been stopped. Students in the capital have been protesting for the past few days demanding half bus fares after recent reports of bus assistants denying to agree to half passes.
Meanwhile, the Passengers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh has termed the half bus fare a student right.

[email protected]