Transport workers have suspended bus operations on all routes from Rajshahi following disputes over the formation of an election committee.
Since Tuesday morning, no buses have departed from the city’s Naodapara and Shiroil terminals, local media report. Ticket counters remain mostly open, though no one could say when the strike will end.
The suspension has left inter‑district and long‑distance passengers stranded, though disruptions have been partly eased by the continued operation of BRTC buses, trains, and services from neighboring districts.
Helal Uddin, a representative of the Rajshahi District Bus Owners’ Association, said no directive had been issued to halt services. “If anyone goes on strike, that is their own decision. From the owners’ side, bus operations remain normal,” he said.
Mominul Islam, general secretary of the Rajshahi District Motor Workers’ Union, said the dispute stemmed from the formation of the union’s election committee.
On Monday afternoon, administration officials, bus owners’ representatives, and union leaders met at the district commissioner’s office, but heated arguments over including a bus owners’ representative in the committee ended the session in chaos.
Afterward, a group of workers went to Shiroil bus terminal, creating tension and announcing that bus services on all routes would remain suspended until a neutral and fair election committee was formed.
Disputes over the union’s election committee have repeatedly triggered bus stoppages in Rajshahi in recent months. Each time, strikes were withdrawn following intervention and assurances from the administration.
