Commuters are in deep water due to lack of long-haul buses on the roads of Rangpur amid a two-day strike called by the Motor Owners' Association ahead of the BNP's divisional rally there.

The transport owners' association's strike – called in demand of keeping local passenger vehicles and other three-wheelers off the highways – will be observed from 6am on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.

About 600 to 700 buses ply from Rangpur on different roads. Due to the sudden bus strike, ordinary passengers are suffering.

Other small vehicles are taking advantage of this situation and are charging passengers three/four times the regular fare.

Passengers are having to pay a huge amount to reach from Rangpur city, Bus Stand Terminal, Kamarpara, Modern Junction to Dhaka, Khulna, Bogura, Rajshahi.

Dhaka-bound passenger Rezaul Islam Manik Dulal said that they had come from Kurigram to Rangpur in a small car to go to Dhaka. However, they are suffering due to lack of any car in Rangpur.

A man named Rafiqul Islam came to the bus terminal with his 10-year-old daughter. They from Sundarganj in Gaibandha to visit a relative admitted in Rangpur Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday.

But now there is no easy way for them to return home. He said, he is now forced to return to Sundarganj by autorickshaw, van or any other means.

On the one hand, traders are facing difficulties in transportation of perishable goods including vegetables.

Meanwhile, Rangpur BNP's divisional rally is scheduled to be held on Saturday (29 October) at Collectorate Eidgah grounds.

Leaders and workers have been seen making various preparations around the day. Due to the strike, many of them started coming to Rangpur from Thursday night to make the rally successful.

President of Rangpur district unit of BNP Saiful Islam said, "The meeting will be held on Saturday, but the party's leaders and workers have started coming to Rangpur from Wednesday. The grassroots workers are ready to protest the way the government is torturing, oppressing and obstructing the BNP leaders and workers.

Asadul Habib Dulu, BNP's organizing secretary of Rangpur division, told The Business Standard, "The same situation was created in the name of transport strike in the previous mass meeting. The government is playing the same strategy in Rangpur, Mymensingh and Khulna. It's no use.

"We are talking about public demand. We came to the field demanding people's liberation. The government repeatedly says that BNP is conspiring. But now the government is conspiring to stop us. However, mass uprising cannot be prevented by this barrier."

According to AKM Mozammel Haque, president of Rangpur District Motor Owners' Association, the government has formed a law in view of the demands of transport owners for safety on the highway.

However, in the highways of Rangpur, various illegal vehicles including Nachiman, Karimon, are still plying on the highway. Accidents often happen because of this, he added.

In such a situation, a transport strike has been called on all routes of Rangpur from Friday morning to Saturday evening, said the transport owners' leader.