Owners called for a two-day strike in Barguna from Friday, demanding that three-wheelers be banned from the highways.

Barguna Bus Owners Association General Secretary Md Sagir Hossain confirmed the matter to UNB on Thursday night.

“If the administration does not ban the illegal plying of three wheelers on the highways even after this two-day strike, we will go for an indefinite strike,” Sagir Hossain said.

Read more: Barishal transport strike ahead of BNP rally hits commuters hard

Barguna Deputy Commissioner (DC) Habibur Rahman said it was decided to ban the movement of three-wheelers and auto-rickshaws on the highway in the district law and order meeting.

“However, the number of police force required to stop three-wheelers on such a big highway is not available to the district police. So it cannot be stopped,” he added.

Meanwhile, Barguna District BNP Member Secretary Advocate Tarikuzzaman Titu said the government is adopting various tactics to obstruct people from joining the rally in Barishal. “They will not succeed and Barishal will turn into a human sea on Saturday.”

In Barishal, microbus, launch, speedboats, bus owners and three-wheeler owners will keep their transports off streets till Saturday evening, the day of BNP rally in the district.

A similar strike was also enforced ahead of BNP’s divisional rallies in Rangpur and Khulna, but thousands of party leaders, activists and supporters participated in the rallies overcoming the obstacles.

As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.

The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

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The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government--a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.

The rally in Barishal will be the 5th one by the BNP at the divisional level as four others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna and Rangpur.