Transport owners in the Chittagong city on Wednesday demanded increase in bus fare to cope with the hike in fuel prices and other expenses.
Holding a press conference at the Chittagong Press Club in the afternoon, leaders of the Chittagong Road Transport Owners’ Group placed the demand and issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government to publish new fare chart.
They also threatened to go on for tougher movement if their demands were not fulfilled.
Reading out a written speech, the group’s secretary general Monjurul Alam Monju said the transport sector was at stake because of the rampant price increase of diesel, spare parts and increase in income tax, fitness charge and others.
Presenting a comparative picture of tax and price hike, Monju said in 2008 the charge of tax token was Tk 7245 and in 2012 it was increased to Tk 10,000.
‘The income tax per vehicle was doubled from Tk 5,000 to Tk 10,000 and the set of tyres we used buy for Tk 28000 now cost Tk 65,000,’ he added.
‘But the transport fare did not increased proportionately making the operation of transport very difficult for the owners,’ Monju said.
Replying to a query, Monju said the owners had to pay double digit interest for the loan taken from banks for buying vehicles and they were now facing serious problems in giving the loan installment and maintain the increased expenses.
The press conference was also attended by president of CRTOG Kafil Uddin Ahmed, adviser Abul Kalam Azad, additional secretary general Golam Rasul Babul, Nurul Alam, Nurul Islam, Mohammad Musa, Oli Ahmed, Abdur Rahman, Saleh Ahmed and Jahur Ahmed, among others.