Bus services to continue unaffected during BNP hartal

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association has announced that buses and minibuses will continue to ply Dhaka city and inter-district routes during Sunday's hartal called by BNP. 

Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of the association made the decision on Saturday.

According to a press release sent under the banner of the association, immediate discussions were held with the leaders of the association, transport companies, and workers' leaders about the hartal called by BNP, and they have decided not to halt their services. 

The leaders urged the owners of the association or company to keep the movement of vehicles normal on all routes. The owners and workers will never respond to the "anti-people" strike, the release said, adding that they are rejecting the strike with hatred.

The leaders of the association requested law enforcement agencies to strengthen the security arrangements at important places in the city so that there is no obstruction in the movement of vehicles on Sunday.

The BNP has called a hartal (strike) across Bangladesh on Sunday protesting against the clash with police in Dhaka's Kakrail area.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the hartal would start at 6am and continue till 6pm.

He said that the hartal was called in response to Awami League leaders and activists and law enforcement forces carrying out an attack against his party men in Kakrail and Naya Paltan in Dhaka.

The areas surrounding the capital's Nightingale intersection turned into a battlefield as BNP men waged a pitched battle with police for more than two hours.