Ban on night-time bus operation goes

On the 66th day of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance-called blockade, coupled with hartals on weekdays, the government lifted the restriction on operation of buses on long-routes in the night.
Incidents of violence took place in the capital and Barisal, while BNP and its allies took out processions in places in support of the hartal-blockade.
On Thursday the government decided to lift the restrictions at a meeting in the home ministry with intercity bus owners, which will come into effect Thursday night.
The owners demanded security as the transport blockade continues.
Different transport operators resumed services on long routes after withdrawal of the ban.
Earlier, on February 9, the government had imposed the ban on passenger buses on highways from 9:00pm to 6:00am, to avoid violence and arson attacks on buses.
‘The government had assured them of all measures to provide security,’ state minister for home Asaduzzaman Khan said.
The meeting was also attended by shipping minister Shajahan Khan, state minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives Moshiur Rahman Ranga and inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque.
In the capital, a bomb exploded on the premises of Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka, spreading panic among people.
However, none was wounded in the explosion, police said.
The bomb went off with a big bang on the ground floor of the court building, in the old part of the capital around 4:10pm, said Aminur Rahman, assistant commissioner of police (prosecution) posted at the CMM Court.
New Age Barisal correspondent reported miscreants hurled petrol bomb at the divisional office of secondary and higher secondary education at Gora Chand Das Road in Barisal early Thursday.
Mustafizur Rahman, director of the office, said unidentified miscreants broke the window of a backside room in the office and hurled the petrol bomb at about 12:10am Thursday.
A computer, printer, furniture and documents were damaged in the attack, the DSHE divisional in-charge said.
BNP and its allies brought out processions at Dhaka, Chitagong, Bogra and Chapianawabganj, as part of its countrywide programme of mass procession on the last day of extended hartal on Thursday.
Earlier, the alliance declared the 72-hour hartal from 6:00am Sunday to 6:00am Wednesday. After 12-hour break from 6:00 am on Tuesday, the hartal resumed at 6:00 pm Tuesday.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of BNP, brought out sudden processions at different places, including the area adjacent to Dhaka University campus, but police chased at them and dispersed the processions.
A JCD press release signed by its vice-president Nazmul Hasan alleged that police chased and dispersed JCD activists marching from Bakhshibazar to Central Shahid Minar, Shahbagh to Banglamotor and Rampura to Malibagh.
Jatiyatabadi Schecchasebok Dal, volunteer wing of BNP, also brought out sudden processions at places in Dhaka city, including Sabujbagh, Mugda and areas around the airport.
Cox’s Bazar district BNP on Thursday declared a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday demanding the party central joint secretary general Salah Uddin Ahmed be immediately produced before court.
Salah Uddin, who has been acting as BNP’s spokesman, disappeared on Wednesday, with the family alleging he was picked up by joint forces from a house in the capital’s Uttara.
BNP-led alliance called the current non-stop transport blockade on January 6 demanding elections under a non-party administration, to protest at killings, enforced disappearances and arrest of the alliance leaders and activists. The blockade has since been accompanied by hartal on weekdays.
In the capital, the effect of the hartal-blockade appeared to be gradually waning.
The streets saw regular traffic, shops and markets, private and government offices and business establishments remained open.
Some educational institutions opened in the capital, while most educational institutions were open in many outlying districts and rural areas.
Vehicles operating on inter-districts and long routes also increased.
Shah Alam, counter manager of Isha Kha gate-lock bus service at Saidabad inter-district bus terminal, told New Age on Thursday that buses were now operating on all routes from the terminal.
He said nine buses left from the gate-lock counter for Kishoreganj from 7am to 3:30pm on Thursday.
Counter manager Jewel of Hanif enterprise at Gabtoli told New Age that 12 buses left from the counter for Khulna, Sathkhira, Bagerhat and Benapole till 2:30 pm.
Buses operated in larger number on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays compared to other working days.
Trains are were arriving and leaving Kamlapur railway station almost on time while ferry services remained unaffected by the blockade-shutdown.
New Age correspondents from Chittagong, Rangpur, Tangail, Chapainawabganj and Sirajganj reported similar scenes from the areas.
At Chapainawabganj, an activist of Islami Chatra Shibir was hacked to death at the old C&B ghat area, Thursday morning.
Chapainawabganj sadar police suspected the victim, Ariful Islam, 18, might have been killed over internal conflict in the organisation.