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On Thursday morning, the passengers going to the office had to suffer on the road as the day before. Large numbers of passengers were seen waiting for buses in the Dhaka, Mohakhali, Kakrail, Shahbag, Paltan, Press Club and Gulistan airport areas for a long time. Angry passengers also blocked the road in Khilkhet in the morning.
Their claim is that transportation owner-workers have created an “artificial crisis” by taking advantage of government restrictions; The rent is being charged ‘two or three times’.
After the government issued 18-point directives to control the coronavirus infection in the country, it was decided to operate public transport with half of the seats vacant as of Wednesday.
Private minibuses run on most routes in the capital with at least 50 seats. After receiving instructions from the government, half of the seats must be left empty and the fare must be increased by 60 percent to transport passengers.
The people of the capital are in trouble due to the directive to transport fewer passengers in buses by keeping offices, courts and shops open.
Passengers bound for the office blocked the road in Khilkhet around 9 am to protest the inability to get on the bus even after standing for hours, causing a long traffic jam across the airport road. Traffic on the Kuril-Banani flyover to Uttara stopped.
Mizanur Rahman, an eyewitness, told bdnews24.com: “People blocked the road for a while because they couldn’t get on the bus during morning office hours. Later, when the police arrived and picked everyone up on the bus, the situation became normal. “
Khilkhet OC Munshi Chabbir Ahmed Police Station said: “The buses are not carrying more than half of the passengers due to the increase in coronavirus infection. As a result, many people who go to the office cannot get on the bus. They got angry and closed the road under Khilkhet over the bridge and took position. “
Saiful Aslam, a bank official who came to Gulistan from Mirpur, said he took the bus after waiting an hour. Instead of Rs 30 for rent, Rs 60 had to be counted.
“Even if the rent was 10 rupees more, I had to get up. I believe that an artificial crisis has been created so that the rent has to be paid more ”.
Mohammad Jasim Uddin, who came to Kakrail from Tejgaon, made similar accusations. He said: “We are going from Tejgaon to the Kakrail crossing with 10 rupees. I came to Gazipur Paribahan today, they always charge 10 rupees, today they took 30 rupees. ”
“I took the bus after standing for half an hour, the fare is higher there again. I think they have reduced the number of buses on the road to charge more ”.
Mujahid Hossain, a passenger from Gulistan to Sadarghat, told bdnews24.com, “The bus fare was Tk 5. Today he wants 15 rupees. The rent should be 6 rupees instead of 5 rupees, but they are charging 15 rupees. “
At least 50 passengers were seen standing in front of the Khilgaon police post around 10 am, but the bus was not seen.
The passengers complained that the other day the driver’s assistants were calling to pick up the passengers on the bus, now the situation is completely different.
Abul Kashem, a businessman from Roy Saheb Bazar in Old Dhaka, told bdnews24.com: “I have been waiting for a bus for an hour. There is no bus.”
However, Khandaker Enayet Ullah, general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, refused to accept the accusation of creating an “artificial crisis” on the bus.
He told bdnews24.com, “Why the crisis? The bus is on the road as it was.”
“If the bus fare is too high, the BRTA mobile court will punish it,” he said.
Indifference to health risks
Passengers complained about the bus and fare crisis, but their disregard for adherence to hygiene standards was evident. Bus drivers or attendants were no exception.
Several areas of the capital have been visited, passengers get on buses without masks. The driver and attendant were seen wearing masks on the chin instead of the face.
At around 11 a.m., a Savar Paribahan bus was spotted at the Shahbagh intersection. Most of the passengers did not have face masks.
When asked why he was carrying passengers without masks, Sajib, the assistant driver, told bdnews24.com:
Johnny, Rajnigandha Paribahan’s assistant driver, made the same statement. He told bdnews24.com: “Passengers get in the car as soon as we talk about the mask. Many take off their masks, what can we do?”
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