Barishal bus services resume after three-hour shutdown

Bus services on various routes in Barishal resumed after a three-hour shutdown over the alleged vandalism of several buses by three-wheeler Mahindra drivers and a demand to stop such vehicles from operating on highways.

Bus owners and workers withdrew the strike around 4:10pm on Monday following assurances from the administration that the dispute would be resolved through discussions.

The shutdown began around 1:30pm from the Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal, halting buses on the Dhaka-Barishal highway and several local and long-distance routes. The sudden suspension left passengers stranded at the terminal.

According to bus owners and workers, a long-running dispute between bus operators and Mahindra owners and drivers centres on the latter picking up passengers from areas near bus counters on highways.

The dispute escalated on Monday morning in the Shimultala area of Banaripara over passenger boarding. Bus workers alleged that Mahindra owners and drivers stopped around 20 passenger buses and later vandalised several buses and assaulted their staff.

Bus services were initially suspended on the Barishal-Banaripara-Swarupkathi route before spreading to 15 local routes and several long-distance routes from Nathullabad.

Bus workers also demanded effective action to remove three-wheelers from highways, saying their operation contributes to traffic congestion and increases the risk of accidents. They warned of tougher programmes if authorities fail to take action against what they described as illegal highway operations.

Barishal District Bus Owners Group President Mosharraf Hossain said Mahindra drivers had blocked buses in Banaripara in the morning, prompting workers to suspend services. The services were later restored after considering the public suffering and receiving assurances of administrative intervention.

Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sakhawat Hossain said police were trying to resolve the dispute through discussions with both sides. He said additional police had been deployed around Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal to prevent any untoward incident.

SKS