The Nilphamari District Bus-Minibus Owners Association and District Workers' Union issued an ultimatum Thursday also demanding an end to alleged discrimination against Saidpur buses on the Rangpur-Dinajpur and Rangpur-Thakurgaon routes and threatening disruption if unresolved by September 10.
At a press conference in Saidpur the General Secretary Md. Shahidul Islam Sarkar said Nilphamari operates far fewer buses than neighboring districts under a 14-15-year-old quota system. On the Rangpur-Dinajpur route, Rangpur and Dinajpur associations each run 25 buses while Nilphamari operates only 12. On the Rangpur-Thakurgaon route, Rangpur runs 6 buses and Thakurgaon 4 but Nilphamari is allowed only 2 and none at all from Thakurgaon.
Organizers also alleged that Saidpur passengers are being denied boarding on Rangpur's yellow and green flag-marked gatelock buses and calling it a pattern of harassment against their district's operators.
The associations demanded immediate intervention from Rangpur divisional and district administration to end the discrimination and increase bus allocations also warning that continued inaction could disrupt bus services across the Rangpur-Dinajpur-Thakurgaon corridor after September 10.
The press conference was attended by association president and Saidpur BNP leader Alhaj Abdul Gafur Sarkar, former president Shahnewaz Shanu, co-editor Sirajul Islam Majnu, member Arman Hamid, Motor Workers' Union president Jahangir Alam, general secretary Mohammad Ali and other members of both organizations.
