Nagarik Odhikar Committee, a local citizens' group and Jatri Odhikar Sangrakkhan Forum, which backs the rights of bus passengers, on Sunday night withdrew today's half-day hartal in the river port town of Narayanganj after the bus owners announced their decision to reduce extra bus fare they had been charging of late.
They withdrew the hartal after the bus owners announced across the town over loudspeakers that they had decided to reduce Narayanganj-Dhaka bus fare to Tk 27 from Tk 28 they had been charging since the government increased the fuel price.
Before the government raised the fuel price, bus fare between Narayanganj and Dhaka was Tk 22.
The protesters have been asking for slashing the extra bus fare by at least Taka two. They said that the transport owners arbitrarily raised bus fare on the plea that the government had increased fuel price.
But there was no let up in tension that gripped the port town as the rift between two rival groups of ruling Awami League had widened over support and opposition to the hartal called in protest against bus fare hike.
Former AL legislator Shamim Osman lent support to the transport owners in opposing the hartal.
Sitting ruling party MP Sarah Begum Kabori lent support to the hartal, which was called to oppose the bus fair hike on Dhaka- Narayanganj route.
The two groups held separate demonstrations and rallies, one supporting and the other opposing the hartal, which only heightened the tension gripping the port town.
The rift between the two rival groups of ruling Awami League in the port town widened on Saturday when a meeting convened at the office of the deputy commissioner to solve the problem of bus fare hike ended in a pandemonium as the supporters of Shamim Osman and Kabori scuffled with each other. Shamim Osman traded abuse with Kabori.
The police obstructed Nagarik Odhikar Committee and Jatir Odhikar Sanrakkhan Forum from taking out a procession from the Shahid Minar at Chashara on the plea of that it could aggravate the town's traffic congestion, said Narayanganj police station officer-in-charge.
Source : New Age
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