Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation has demanded to resume public transport services with fifty percent passengers from April 22 in compliance with heath guidelines.
Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers' Federation, has written a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanding to resume passenger bus services across the country. The letter was sent to the Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Some other leaders of the transport sector have been urging government to start public transport services from April 22.
Public transport services have been suspended according to government’s instructions to control the spread of coronavirus. BRTC buses are being operated for the doctors and bank officials involved in emergency services. However, freight transportations are also being operated.
In this situation the country’s transport workers are now unemployed and in a desperate fight for survival. The general secretary has sent the letter to the Prime Minister highlighting this issue. In the letter he has urged the Prime Minister to stand by the workers in this difficult time. In addition to considering the corona outbreak as a global problem, it is important to grant special allocations for transport workers and ensure the health protection of these workers to revive the post-disaster economy. Five million transport workers across the country will be grateful if financial grants or OMS products are provided at the bus and truck terminals for the unemployed transport workers. The authorities concerned were also requested to issue an order to operate public transport with fifty percent passengers from April 22, he said in the letter.
The government imposed restrictions on public transports from April 5 to April 11 amid the second wave of coronavirus. Later, the ban was extended for two more days till April 13. A strict lockdown was enforced from April 14 to April 21 to contain the transmission of coronavirus. On April 20, the cabinet division issued a notification extending the ban for another seven days.