Dhaka, Apr 1: Commuters staged demonstrations after blocking road in the city’s Nilkhet area as they failed to board buses and other public transports after the government’s directive to carry 50 percent passengers in public buses to check Covid transmission. Sabbir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Khilkhet Police Station, said some people staged demonstrations on the road around 9 am halting the movement of some buses as they failed to board buses to reach their destinations.
However, traffic movement returned to normal after12 pm.
Sufferings of commuters mounted as Bangladesh Road Transport Authority(BRTA) imposed a ban for two weeks on app-based motorcycle ride sharing services following the fresh surge of coronavirus.
Ride sharing bikers also staged demonstrations in the city’s Badda area and in front of the Jatiya Press Club demanding the government to allow them to operate the service.
A huge number of people were seen waiting for buses since morning in different areas and some of them hired rickshaws and CNG-run autorickshaw to reach their destinations.
In the wake of growing Covid-19 cases, the government asked the operators to carry 50 percent passengers of their capacity to maintain social distancing.
It has increased the fares of public transport by 60 percent across the country on March 30. The order will remain in force for the next two weeks.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on March 29 issued an 18-point directive for the next two weeks in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Bangladesh, reports UNB.
