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DHAKA, Dec 12, 2024 (BSS) – Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur today urged the interim government to take strong measures to bring discipline to the public transport sector and vowed to continue their fight against the “mafias of the transport sector”.
 
“Though Sheikh Hasina’s cohorts in the transport sector have fled along with her with crores of money from the transport sector, the sector went under new mafias. We will continue to fight against the mafia in the transportation sector like we fought against fascism in the past,” he said.
 
Nur, also former DUCSU Vice President, made the remarks while addressing the discussion titled “The way forward to stop extortion and anarchy in road transport sector and establish the leadership of genuine owners-workers in the sector” as the chief guest.
 
The Public Transport Reform National Committee organized the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club here this afternoon with its Convener Aslam Chowdhury in the chair, said a press release.
 
Nur underscored the need for making a new voter list so that the genuine owners can come to the leadership of the Transport Owners’ Association and said simultaneously it also should be ensured that no bad people can come to the leadership.
 
Speaking about the long-standing traffic jams in the capital, he said many plans have been made to free Dhaka from traffic jams, but nothing has been done in reality.
 
The Gono Odhikar Parishad president urged the government to take effective measures after consulting with experts to resolve traffic congestions.
 
“We’ve been saying time and again that people did not make the supreme sacrifice just for votes. So, discipline should be brought everywhere,” Nur said.
 
Noting that the government was forced to increase the price of soybean oil by Taka 8 per litter due to artificial shortage created by the edible oil syndicate, he said the government should take action against the syndicate instead of meeting their demands.
 
Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Ucchatar Parishad Member and Media Coordinator Abu Hanif, Sohrab Hossain, Barrister Sajjad Chowdhury Shihab, Mahtabuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Faruk Molla, Tofazzal Hossain, Rafiqul Hossain Kajal, Major Jahangir Alam, Mahmud Hossain and Sabuj Sikder of Transport Owners’ Association and labor leaders Sohel Rana Sampad, Ariful Islam, Ismail Hossain, Russell Khokon, SM Parvez, Md Shahidul Islam, Md Amir Hossain, Alamgir Hossain and Jewel Rana Arif also spoke at the programme, among others.
 
Public Transport Reform National Committee member secretary Abdur Rahman conducted the discussion.