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The Sylhet District Road Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council has called for an indefinite transport strike across all levels starting Tuesday (July 8) at 6:00 AM to press for six demands, including the withdrawal of the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the reopening of closed stone quarries. The announcement was made during a press conference held on Monday (July 7) evening at a restaurant in the Barutkhana area of Sylhet city.
Moinul Islam, president of the Sylhet District Bus, Minibus, Coach, and Microbus Workers Union, presented a written statement at the press conference. He stated that the strike would exempt vehicles carrying examinees and those involved in emergency services. The six demands include: lifting the suspension order on stone quarry leases and reopening quarries and sandbanks using traditional methods; canceling the requirement for contractor clearance for vehicle fitness certificates issued by BRTA and withdrawing increased taxes on public transport; halting the disconnection of electricity to crusher mills, returning electricity meters, and compensating for damaged mills; withdrawing Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad; and stopping the harassment of drivers of goods-carrying vehicles, including those transporting sand and stone.[
Previously, on Wednesday, the Sylhet District Road Transport Owners-Workers Unity Council organized a protest rally at Court Point, where the strike was announced. Former Sylhet City Corporation Mayor and BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Ariful Haque Chowdhury attended the rally, expressing solidarity and calling the DC “inefficient and ineffective” while demanding his resignation. However, he also opposed stone extraction that harms the environment.
Moinul Islam stated, “Since the Awami League government’s tenure, public transport, goods transport, and stone-related business owners and workers in Sylhet have been deprived. The closure of all stone quarries in 2018 left millions jobless. Even after August 5, oppression and harassment have continued.
However, Lokman Ahmad, president of the Sylhet District Road Transport Owners Association and a member of Jamaat-e-Islami’s working council, announced after an emergency meeting at the South Surma Bus Terminal on Sunday night that their organization is not associated with the strike and their vehicles will operate as usual from Tuesday. Similarly, the Sylhet District CNG Auto-Rickshaw, Auto-Tempo, Taxi, and Taxicab Owners Association, in a meeting held on Monday afternoon in front of the BRTA office, declared they would not participate in the strike and would continue providing regular services.
