Staff Correspondent :
A citizens’ group in Narayanganj, known as the Passenger Rights Protection Forum, has announced a series of nine programs, including a strike, demanding a reduction in fares for AC and non-AC buses on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route. The organization’s convener, Rafiqul Rabbi, announced these programs during a press conference at Narayanganj Press Club on Saturday, October 26.
The planned programs include consultations with various citizen and organizational groups from November 1 to 8, a protest march on November 9, street rallies and public engagement from November 10 to 13, an announcement campaign on November 14, a grand rally at the Shaheed Minar on November 15, and a torch procession on the evening of November 16. If their demands are not met by then, they will hold a strike from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on November 17 in Narayanganj.
Rafiqul Rabbi noted that transportation issues in Narayanganj have persisted for years, claiming that the transport sector under the ruling Awami League has been one of the main revenue sources for extortion by the Osman family.
According to him, local BRTA and the administration have long supported arbitrary fare hikes, causing significant public suffering. A similar movement had emerged in June 2011 when the fare on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route increased from 22 to 32 takas.
Since August 5, with the changing national scenario, some of the mafia and godfathers of Narayanganj’s transport syndicate have either fled or gone into hiding. The group emphasizes that they do not want this sector to be controlled again by any extortionists or godfathers who exploit the public.
The Passenger Rights Protection Forum has criticized the April 2 fare structure announced by the BRTA as “anti-public and biased towards transport owners.” According to BRTA, the fare on this route should be 53 takas, but the actual fare is 55 takas. They argue that the non-AC fare on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route should not exceed 45 takas.
Their demands include setting the non-AC bus fare at 45 takas and the AC bus fare at 65 takas on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route. They also call for reasonable fare reductions on other routes, such as Pagla, Postogola, Chittagong Road, and Panam, and for half-fare provisions for students.
“We hope that by November 15, the authorities will address these just demands and protect the public from the control of transport mafias,” stated Rabbi.