Passengers suffer as protesters block highways
Protesters in Rangpur and Narayanganj yesterday blocked highways snapping road links and triggering long tailback.
In Rangpur, about 3,000 bidi workers of Haragachh under Kounia upazila blocked Rangpur-Bogra highway for about one hour demanding withdrawal of VAT on bidi and protesting imposition of fresh VAT on cigarette in the proposed budget, reports our correspondent.
The bidi workers sat on the road from 12:00am to 1:00pm snapping road communications between northern region and other parts of the country. Hundreds of vehicles to and from Rangpur got stranded on Rangpur-Bogra highway.
Later bidi workers went to the deputy commissioner of Rangpur and submitted a memorandum.
In the memo they said due to fresh VAT and tax the number of bidi factories at Haragachh and other places in the country decreased creating unemployment problem for the poor people.
In Narayanganj, hundreds of protesters yesterday took to the streets and kept the Dhaka-Narayanganj road blocked for two hours triggering a long tailback.
They were demanding adequate gas supply to the greater Masdair area, reports UNB.
Several hundred women, including housewives and female workers, also joined the blockade, coming there with brooms and other household items to join the march protesting declining gas supply.
They also burned used tyres on the busy road and kept it blocked at the Kabarasthan (graveyard) point from 8am to 10am.
Fatulla Model Town police came to the scene but could do nothing as the law-enforces were heavily outnumbered by the demonstrators.
Lastly, the protesters withdrew their blockade at 10:00am upon request made by police.
Sources said gas supply sharply declined in greater Masdair in the last few weeks causing immense sufferings to the residents.
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