Though 45 days have already elapsed since the shutdown, transport leaders are still to stand beside the workers of the sector.
Most transport workers earned on a daily basis, and are now the worst sufferers passing inhuman lives across the country.
However, none has come forward with helping hands to them.
As a result, the workers expressing utter resentment and concern over the non-cooperation of the transport leaders, continued to stage demonstrations and protest rallies across the country demanding to save them from hunger.
The ones who once used the transport workers and even took daily subscriptions to consolidate their positions, have now totally disappeared.
It is estimated that there might be thousands of crores of taka in the workers federation fund, that now remains idle.
For dire need of food and other support, in the meantime, transport workers across the country have staged demonstrations ignoring the fear of coronavirus spread.
On May 3, thousands of transport workers protested demanding relief. Earlier, there were protests in Demra, Jatrabari, Savar in the capital and in Kurigram and Barisal outside Dhaka. They said either to restart transport operation or provide them sufficient food assistance.
According to sources, the transport owners associations had extorted Tk 2000 crore in the name of transport workers management expenses, and others. However, more than 70 lakh transport workers are passing their days hungry along with their families.
According to their information, Shahjahan Khan and Moshiur Rahman Ranga, the most influential leaders in the transport sector who have become 'important people' of the government through workers’ politics, are also not looking at them.
Similarly, Bangladesh Workers Federation general secretary Osman Ali and Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association secretary general Khandaker Enayet Ullah are not also seen beside them.
Workers asserted that they would have benefited if even a small portion of the money collected every day in the name of their welfare fund had been spent for them.
According to different association statistics, nearly 8,000 buses and minibuses were operated on different routes in the city. Some 40,000 workers are directly or indirectly involved with these buses. Now they are not getting any support from their respective unions, associations and owners.
Transport leaders and entrepreneurs said due to the general holidays, the industry is incurring a loss of around Tk 500 crore every day. They say the sector is in need of incentive assistance. Otherwise, they will have to lose everything.
