Bus services on the Moulvibazar-Habiganj-Sylhet route resumed on Wednesday evening, after a two-day suspension due to a dispute over new minibus operations on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
According to sources from the Habiganj Bus Owners’ Association, the conflict began when leaders of the Moulvibazar District Workers' Union launched a new passenger minibus service from Sherpur to Madhabpur in Habiganj along the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
On Monday, a minibus carrying passengers reached Shayestaganj, where members of the Habiganj District Bus Owners’ Association and Workers' Union blocked its entry, stating that the new service lacked proper approval.
They claimed that launching a new minibus line on this route was illegal, especially since regular buses already serve the area, and there is no room to accommodate additional services.
This disagreement escalated into a heated argument between the two parties. Fearing potential violence and vandalism, all bus operations on the route were suspended from Tuesday, until the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11—causing severe disruptions for thousands of passengers.
Sohel Ahmed, acting general secretary of the Habiganj Bus Owners’ Association, said: “Bus operations have resumed. The dispute is expected to be resolved on Saturday.”
Kutub Mia, president of the Bus Line division of the Moulvibazar Workers' Union, said: “We introduced the new minibus service to improve passenger services along the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. However, the Habiganj Bus Owners’ Association and Workers’ Union are obstructing this effort. Their reasons are unclear. Even though there’s no direct objection to Habiganj’s buses operating, they have kept the route closed due to their own concerns.”
Abdur Rahim Ripon, member secretary of the Moulvibazar unit of BNP and president of the Moulvibazar Bus and Minibus Owners’ Association, said that operations resumed following assurances from GK Gaus, the Sylhet divisional organizing secretary of BNP and former mayor of Habiganj municipality.
He added that a permanent resolution regarding inter-district bus services would be reached through a meeting involving both parties on Saturday.
