DHAKA, July 27: Transport owners and workers in Bangladesh have given the government a 15-working-day ultimatum to meet their eight-point charter of demands, warning of a 72-hour nationwide transport strike from 6 a.m. on August 12 to 6 a.m. on August 15 if their concerns are not addressed.
The announcement came during a joint press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, organized by the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association, the Bus-Truck Owners Association, and the Road Transport Workers’ Federation, according to United News of Bangladesh.
The ultimatum follows recent enforcement drives by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) targeting commercial vehicles over 20 years old for buses and 25 years for trucks. These crackdowns have already triggered regional strikes in several districts.
Key demands include amendments to Sections 98 and 105 of the Road Transport Act-2018, an extension of the economic lifespan of commercial vehicles to 30 years, and a halt to BRTA’s drives against older vehicles. Transport leaders argue that vehicle removal should be based on fitness and environmental impact, not age, and advocate reinstating the previous policy allowing older vehicles to operate outside metropolitan areas.
Additional demands include reducing presumptive income tax on commercial vehicles, extending the import age limit for reconditioned vehicles from 5 to 12 years, and implementing a formal scrappage policy.
They also called on the interim government to return accident-damaged vehicles within 72 hours, speed up licence issuance and renewals, and enforce the Road Transport Workers’ Federation’s previously issued 12-point demand. (IANS)
