48-hour transport strike called in Chattogram

The Brihottor Chattogram Gonoporibohon Malik Shramik Oikya Parishad is going to enforce a 48-hour transport strike in Chattogram division.

They called for the strike to press their three-point demand in protest against the burning of vehicles by the students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET).

The strike will continue for 48 hours starting from 6:00am on Sunday (April 28), said Convener of the organization Manjurul Alam Chowdhury emerging out of an emergency meeting of the Oikya Parishad at Chattogram Inter-District Owners Association office on Saturday (April 27).

Manjurul Alam Chowdhury said, “Two CUET students riding a motorcycle were killed by a bus on the Chattogram-Kaptai road last Monday. The CUET students had been protesting since that day by blocking the Chattogram-Kaptai road to realize their 10-point demand. The students calmed down a bit when the police arrested the bus driver last Wednesday. But in between the time three buses were burnt. Besides, the bus drivers, owners and workers of this route are being threatened continuously.”

“The 48-hour strike has been called to stop the plying of unfit vehicles on the roads and harassment of public transport owners and workers. During the strike, buses will not run on the routes in the three hill districts, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the face of the student agitation, the university authorities have decided to close the CUET till May 11. The decision was made at an emergency meeting of CUET Syndicate on Friday (April 26) afternoon. However, the university administration withdrew from the decision to vacate the halls during the closure.