The situation on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur is better than the last few years.However, since this morning, there are crowds of home-goers at various important points including Chandana intersection on the highway and the pressure of vehicles is also very high.To keep the movement of vehicles smooth on the highway, the road is being monitored round the clock with the deployment of additional traffic police at important points including Chandana, Bhogra Bypass intersection, Board Bazar, and Station Road.There are certain routes with fewer vehicles and more commuters. Many said they have to wait for a long time for buses, and taking advantage of this, transport workers are charging extra fare.Buses on the Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Netrakona and other routes are charging about one and a half times more than usual fare, they complained.Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Alamgir Hossain said, about 1,000 traffic police personnel, APBN members and rover scouts have been deployed in three shifts to maintain normal traffic conditions on the highway during this year's Eid journey.Special monitoring is going on to prevent unfit vehicles from plying the road. Some tow-trucks have also been kept ready at different points of the highway.

The government has increased fares of inter-district and long route buses by 22 percent and 16.27 percent in Dhaka.The decision was taken at a meeting held at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's head office in the capital’s Banani on Saturday, said Nur Mohammad Mazumder, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Read: Fuel price hike: Passengers suffer as buses go off roads in capitalThe new prices will be effective from Sunday, he added.He said the additional fares for inter-district and long routes buses and mini buses will be increased by 40 paisa to Tk 2.20 per kilometre from the existing Tk 1.80 per kilometre.The bus fare per kilometre in Dhaka has increased by 35 paisa to Tk 2.50 per kilometre from the existing Tk 2.15 per kilometre.However, bus fares outside of Dhaka were fixed at Tk 2.4 increasing by 17 per cent.The minimum bus and mini buses fares in Dhaka have been fixed at Tk 10 and Tk 8 respectively.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Tuesday voiced concern over the transport workers’ rowdy attitude towards passengers and urged the government to take steps for stopping road anarchy over bus fares. “It can’t be accepted the way the transport workers misbehave with passengers. Road anarchy must be stopped,” he said. In a statement, the Jatiya Party chief said the transport workers are collecting much more money from passengers than the bus fares increased by the road transport authorities on the pretext of hike in diesel and kerosene prices. Read: No one to look into public sufferings: GM Quader As a result, GM Quader said, the ordinary passengers are being harassed while trying to reach their destinations by bus every day. “When they (passengers) protest, they’re subjected to indescribable torture.” He also said full fares are being collected from students instead of half they deserve. “The transport workers are behaving harshly with female students and women.” GM Quader said transport owners and workers had enforced a transport strike without any prior notice soon after the government increased the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 per liter on the night of November 3 last, harassing crores of commuters. “But no one has the right to call a strike without any prior notice.” Later, he said, the government raised the transport fares through discussions with the transport owners and workers. “Many common people expressed their displeasure over the issue as they thought it’s a staged-managed drama. Even after that, the workers are collecting fares from passengers several times higher than the officially fixed ones.” Read: Raising fuel price, transport fare an anti-people move: GM Quader Though the oil prices have started falling on the international market, the Jatiya Party chief said the government does not seem to have any plan to lower the fuel prices. He bemoaned that the prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing due to the rise in transportation costs. “That’s why ordinary people are struggling to make ends meet.” GM Quader said the government has to take a quick decision to reduce the fuel prices as the oil prices have started falling in the world market. He also urged the government to take steps for ensuring half fares for students.

After the government met their demand, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association on Sunday called off the indefinite transport strike it enforced on Friday in protest against the fuel price hike and demanding increased bus fares. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has increased the fares for intra-city and inter-district buses by 26.5% and 27% respectively following the demand of the bus owners. The decision came at a meeting between the BRTA and the bus owners today (Sunday). Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, said the strike was called off today. "We've also instructed the owners to operate the bus from today." Read: Transport strike enters 3rd day, badly affects normal life From now on, the fare for inter-district buses will be Tk 1.8 per km with a 27% hike which was Tk 1.42 per km. The fare for intra-city buses would be Tk 2.15 per km – an increase from Tk1.70 -- with a 26.5% hike. The minimum fare would be Tk 10 for buses and Tk 8 for minibuses. BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Majumdar said, "The notification will be issued after sending the proposal to the ministry today. These new fares will be effective from tomorrow (Monday)." On Thursday, bus, truck and covered van owners called an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday in protest against fuel price hike. Convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council Md Rustom Ali announced their decision on Thursday following an emergency meeting of the organization. Leaders of the organization said the government raised the toll of Bangabandhu Bridge and Muktarpur Bridge from 257 per cent to 300 per cent “illogically” on November 2 and then it raised the prices of fuel, said a press release. Transport movement had remained suspended for a long time due to Covid in the last two years. When the transport owners are trying to make a turnaround from their huge losses caused by Covid shutdown, the decision of raising bridge toll and fuel price was announced, they added.