Bus services to Dhaka suspended from 3 districts

Bus owners on Thursday night suspended services to Dhaka from three districts—Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, and Natore—in protest against what they termed ‘irrational demands’ by drivers and transport workers. The suspension began at 10pm, said Bazlur Rahman Ratan, president of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association. Earlier this month, drivers, helpers, and supervisors enforced two separate stoppages demanding higher wages and allowances. Owners said that although workers’ salaries and benefits were recently increased, they have again raised new demands, including additional subsistence allowance and permission to pick up passengers randomly along routes. “Such practices will cause financial losses and under these conditions, it is impossible to continue operations,” said Rahman. He also said that a meeting was held in Dhaka on Tuesday with leaders...