Sylhet Representative/

The ‘transportation strike’ called in Sylhet has been called off. The District Bus-Minibus Workers Union has called for an indefinite strike of transport workers in Sylhet from dawn on Wednesday (July 12). However, the labor leaders called off the ‘transportation strike’ after 6 hours of the announcement based on the assurance of meeting the demands of the Deputy Commissioner.

District Bus-Minibus Workers Union President Moinul Islam confirmed the matter on Tuesday (July 11) around 10 pm.

Earlier on Tuesday at 3:30 pm, the district bus-minibus workers’ union called for a strike to demand the arrest of Jaintapur Upazila Parishad Chairman-Upazila Awami League President Kamal Ahmed to allow buses to ply freely on the Sylhet-Tamabil road.

At around 4 pm, the president of the organization, Moinul Islam, said – ‘We have been on strike on the Sylhet-Tamabil road for the last two days due to these two demands. But as our demands are not met, an indefinite strike has been announced for transport workers in the entire Sylhet district from tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. All the transport organizations have united with our movement. Therefore, from tomorrow, no type of vehicle will run on any road in Sylhet.

However, the District Commissioner said. At the call of Mujibur Rahman, the transport workers leaders sat in a meeting around 7:30 pm. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said that he will consider their two demands. Later, the labor leaders announced the withdrawal of the ‘transport strike’.

On the call of the District Bus-Minibus Workers Union, the public transport workers went on indefinite strike on Sylhet-Tamabil road for two days on Monday and Tuesday. The strike was held in protest of the decision of the Arbitration Committee of 17 Parganas of Jaintapur Upazila to stop bus traffic on the road and to demand the arrest of Upazila Awami League President Kamal Ahmed after the death of 5 people in a bus accident on that road last Friday.

Five passengers of an easybike (TomTom) were killed when a bus hit them in front of Palli Vidyut office in Darbast area of Jaintapur upazila on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway last Friday around 10 pm. A few others were injured.

The day after the incident (Saturday) night, the arbitration coordination committee of Greater Jaintapur 17 Parganas of Sylhet held an emergency meeting at Darbast Bazar Mosque. In that meeting, it was demanded to lay off unskilled and unlicensed drivers on the Sylhet-Tamabil road. It was announced that buses and minibuses will not be allowed to ply on that road till the retrenchment.

In view of this announcement, the residents of Greater Jaintapur blocked bus traffic on the Sylhet-Tamabil road from Sunday (July 9) morning. Jaintapur Upazila Parishad Chairman and Upazila Awami League President Kamal Ahmed led it. The leaders of the district bus-minibus workers’ union were outraged by this incident. They held a meeting on Sunday afternoon and announced the suspension of all types of transport on the Sylhet-Tamabil road from Monday morning. Meanwhile, the labor leaders demanded the arrest of Awami League leader Kamal Ahmed.

Meanwhile, the Greater Jaintapur 17 Pargana Arbitration Committee held an emergency meeting on Monday. 3 decisions were taken in it.

They are- 1) Moinul and Malik Samiti should publicly apologize to 17 Parganas. Bus plying on Tamabil Road, Jainta, Kanighat, Goainghat Road in North Sylhet will be suspended until the apology is issued. 2) The owner association has stopped the vehicle itself, so if you want to run the bus again after apologising, you have to take the permission of 17 parganas to run the bus. 3) All vehicles except buses will ply. If anyone obstructs the movement, the vast masses of 17 parganas will resist it.

The next meeting of 17 parganas will be held next Thursday. It will determine what to do next.