Desk Report
Published: 06 Aug 2022, 10:05 pm
Bangladeshis queue at a gas station in Dhaka after government has increased fuel oil prices in Bangladesh on August 5, 2022 || Credit: AFP Photo
Commuters
are facing immense suffering as most of the buses remained off the roads in
different parts of the country including the capital on Saturday after the fuel
price hike in the country last night.
The
commuters were seen waiting for long at the bus stoppages and those who managed
to ride on a bus were being charged additional fares by the bus staff, they
alleged.
In
Khulna, most of the passengers of the long route were seen returning from
Sonadanga Bus Stand as staff of the buses were taking extra fares from the
passengers. The amount of the additional fare is too much from the original fare.
Transport
owners of the district are plying limited buses intentionally to take extra
fares from the passengers taking the advantage of the fuel price hike, alleged
some passengers at the bus stand.
Ripa
Begum, at the Sonadanga Bus Stand, said she doesn't know about the price hike
of fuel by the government. She became surprised as a bus driver was collecting
Tk 250 instead of the existing Tk 180 on the Jhenaidah-Khulna route.
Sundarbans
Paribahan Lineman Sujit said they are charging extra fares from last night
after the announcement of the government.
Golam
Samdani Sakib, general manager of Tungipara Express said they are taking
additional Tk 100 from each of the passengers on AC and non-AC buses.
Some
passengers alleged that the decision of fuel price hike by the government
during this Corona pandemic is unethical.
In
Dinajpur, the fare of CNG-run coaches has been increased on Saturday. However,
bus fares on the internal route remained unchanged.
People
thronged the petrol pumps in the district last night before 12am to get fuel
for the vehicles at the earlier price. But some fuel stations in Nababganj and
Chirirbandar upazila refused to sell petrol and octane at the old price.
However, they were bound to sell at the old price to avert unwanted incidents
as motorcyclists barricaded the road.
Dinajpur
Road Transport Owners’ general secretary Shahed Chowdhury said they will
increase bus fares after the decision of BRTA and the district transport
committee.
In
Rangamati, Rangamati-Chattagram Bus Owners Association has stopped vehicular
movement on all routes including Rangamati-Chattagram Highway protesting the
fuel price hike by the government.
Meanwhile,
some CNG-run mass transports are plying in the district and charging extra
fares to the passengers. Many people and students reached their destination on
foot.
Mizanur
Rahman Babu, general secretary of Rangamati District Auto rickshaw Workers
Union, said all long routes buses will not move till the further decision of
the government about transport fares.
In
Bagerhat, people were waiting in long queues at the fuel stations since last
night.
Fuel
filling station authorities said additional fuels have been sold following the
government announcement of the fuel price hike. As a result, a temporary fuel
crisis might occur at the fuel stations.
The
government hiked the price of fuel oil by a big margin, said a media release
from the power, energy and mineral resources ministry on Friday.
According
to the release, diesel price has been increased by Tk 34 to Tk 114 per litre
while octane price hiked by Tk 46 to Tk 135 and petrol by Tk 44 to Tk 130.
The new
price has been executed from Friday midnight.
Earlier,
in November last year, the government increased the price of diesel and
kerosene by Tk 15 to Tk 80 per litre. As a result, the bus fare was
disproportionately increased by around 27 per cent and the launch fare by 35
per cent._UNB