Bangladesh strike called off as bus fares increased

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Transporters in Bangladesh called off their indefinite strike on Sunday as the government agreed to increase bus fares amid a rise in global fuel prices, a decision lamented by the public.

Following the demand of bus owners, the fares for intra-city and inter-district buses have been increased by 26.5% and 27%, respectively.

The decision was announced by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder following a meeting with transport associations in the capital Dhaka.

The transporters had enforced the nationwide transport strike on Friday to protest the recent 23% rise in the price of diesel and kerosene.

The Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry had justified the decision due to a hike in global prices in the face of a volatile international market for crude oil.

“It is not a pro-people decision ... it will only add to the peoples' woes, and the lower and middle-income groups will suffer," Faijullah Wasif, 29, who works at a private company, told Anadolu Agency.

Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, the secretary-general of Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh, demanded an immediate withdrawal of the "unreasonable" hikes.

Prices of food items are also showing upward movement in the South Asian country, hurting low-income families.