Hartal in three Sylhet upazilas Monday

The Brihattar Jainta Samannaya Samity at a rally at Jaintapur upazila headquarter on Thursday gave a 72-houer ultimatum for withdrawal of the decision. Otherwise, a 12-hour hartal will be observed in the three upazilas on November 10.

Tougher agitation programmes would be launched soon, leaders of the Samity told the rally.

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The BRTC Chairman, on orders from the Communication Secretary, on Wednesday asked the local BRTC manager to bring back all double decker BRTC buses from Jaintapur to Sylhet to suspend the service on the Sylhet-Tamabil road.

The manager went to Jaintapur to bring back the buses but failed in the face of local people's resistance.

As the news spread, thousands of people gathered at the upazila headquarters and held a rally protesting the decision.

Chaired by former chairman of Jaintapur Upazila Parishad Sirajuddin Ahmed, the rally was addressed by leaders of all political parties and chairmen of different Union Parishads.

They alleged that the authority decided to withdraw the service in the face of pressure from private transport owners and workers.

Communication Minister Nazmul Huda had inaugurated the service on September 10. But it was suspended within a week following a strike by private transport owners.

The service was reintroduced on October 17 at the initiative of Finance Minster Saifur Rahman.

Meanwhile, transport owners and workers associations in Sylhet on Tuesday called a 72-hour strike from November 13 in the district to press their 20-point demand, which mainly include withdrawal of BRTC service.

A division level rally of transport workers and owners will be held at Court Point in Sylhet city today.

People of the three upazilas are boycotting private bus and minibus services for the 26th day yesterday as the transport owners and workers compelled the government to stop the BRTC service.