Anti-quota protest: Commuters suffer as bus movement comes to a standstill
The ongoing anti-quota movement by students in various parts of the capital has brought bus movement to and from Dhaka to a standstill, causing immense suffering for commuters.
Bus operators claimed the protests have reduced the number of bus trips to almost half compared to a regular day.
Pravat Roy, senior manager of Shyamoli Paribahan, said, "Due to the movement, we failed to operate 50% of our long-haul buses. Around 200 trips are supposed to leave Dhaka for different routes across the country, but by the afternoon, we have had to cancel 100 trips."
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This situation is similar for all long-haul transport companies, he said.
"We have been able to operate less than half of our buses. Since these buses need to go their destination through different alternative routes, they have not been able to reach many scheduled stops," Hanif Paribahan General Manager Mosharraf Hossain told The Business Standard.
He went on to say, "Passengers waiting at those counters have been left stranded. Furthermore, the buses that did not manage to go via alternative routes are now stuck."
Gridlock traps passengers in heatwave
Traffic chaos erupted today as buses were barred from entering and exiting Dhaka. This gridlock left vehicles stranded on the road for hours, with passengers suffering under the sweltering heatwave.
The traffic woes in the capital turned into a personal nightmare for Mirpur-11 resident Azizul Haque. He came to Gulistan in the morning to purchase goods for his business but found himself stranded due to the restrictions on bus movement.
Faced with no choice, Azizul shouldered his purchases and embarked on a three-hour walk till Paribagh.
"I came to Gulistan on the metro rail, thinking I could return home by it. But because of the heavy bags, I wasn't allowed to ride on the metro," Azizul recounted.
Exhausted from the long walk under the scorching sun, Azizul was found resting near Shahbagh.
"I can't walk any further," he sighed.
"I have been sitting here for an hour, just trying to cool down with some peanuts. I have heard that the buses will start running again in the evening, and then I can finally go home," he said.
Since 2 July, university students have been holding sit-ins, organising marches and blocking roads and highways, demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 quota cancellation circular.
The 2018 rounds of quota reform protests were called off when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the abolition of the system in April of the same year.
Although protestors had sought reformation, the PM said, "If we go for reforms [of the quota system], another group will come up after a few days and say 'we want further reforms'. This issue will keep coming if the quota system remains. But if it ceases to exist, there will be no problem. So, there's no need for having a quota system."
The High Court on 5 June ordered the government to retain the 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs.
It also declared illegal the circular issued on 4 October 2018 cancelling the quota system.
Soon after the order, students announced their non-stop movement.
The quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and was amended several times.
