Transport owners and workers have threatened to enforce a 72-hour nationwide strike from 12 to 15 August if their eight-point demand is not met.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association and Road Transport Workers Federation jointly issued the ultimatum during a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Sunday.
Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association General Secretary Saiful Alam said, “Whenever directives are issued to remove vehicles older than 20 years from the roads, strikes are called in various districts. This practice must change. In a joint meeting, we urged the authorities to resolve the issues within 15 working days. If our demands remain unfulfilled, we will call a nationwide transport strike from 12 August.”
The eight demands include amending sections 98 and 105 of the Road Transport Act 2018, extending the economic lifespan of commercial vehicles from 20-25 years to 30 years, and suspending all BRTA drives against older vehicles until the issue is resolved.
They also demanded withdrawal of the increased presumptive income tax introduced in the current budget, extending the permissible import age of reconditioned buses, trucks and prime movers from 5 years to 12 years, and introducing a provision to release accident-damaged vehicles from police custody within 72 hours.
Other demands include formulating a scrap policy for decommissioned vehicles, ensuring separate lanes for three-wheelers and unauthorized light vehicles on highways, and expediting issuance and renewal of driving licences along with implementing the 12-point demand of the Road Transport Workers Federation.
Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association President Kafil Uddin Ahmed, Executive President MA Baten, Vice President Md Tofazzal Hossain Majumder, Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association Chairman Ramesh Chandra Ghosh and Joint Secretary M Humayun Kabir were also present at the press briefing.