People suffer as buses remain off the roads

15 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, C'nawabganj

Buses lie stranded at the central terminal in Naogaon on the second day of the transport strike in the district yesterday, inset, workers put up barricade on the road by burning tyre near the terminal on Saturday. PHOTO: STAR

Bus owners and workers of Naogaon continued their indefinite strike for the second day yesterday, disrupting road communications between the district and rest of the country. Naogaon Bus Owners' Association and Motor Sramik Union jointly enforced the strike Saturday morning demanding ban on auto-tempo service on all routes in the district, causing immense sufferings to the passengers. District police administration had stopped tempo service from November 9. Following a meeting with Tempo Workers Association at Circuit House on Friday, lawmaker of Naogaon-6 Mohammad Israfil requested the police official to allow tempo service on all routes. As the three-wheeler auto-tempo started plying the roads in the district town on Saturday, bus owners and workers damaged some tempos and enforced an indefinite bus strike demanding ban on tempo service on all routes in the district. Tempo owners and workers also began an indefinite strike protesting attack on their vehicles by the bus workers. Local administration held a meeting with the leaders of Tempo Owners Association and Bus Owners Association to resolve the issue at the conference room of the DC's office Saturday afternoon. In the meeting, leaders of the Tempo Owners Association assured the local administration of withdrawing the strike. But bus owners and workers said they would continue their strike until the demand for banning auto-tempo service on all routes in the district was met. They also took out a procession in the town and burnt tyres at local bus terminal in the evening.