Blockade brings woe to brick kiln operators, traders
Hundreds of trucks from different districts have remained stranded in Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd (BCMCL) area of Parbatipur upazila and Hili land port in Dinajpur due to hartal in the district and countryside blockade programme imposed by BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Brick kiln operators and owners of industrial units in different areas of the country hired the trucks to bring coal from BCMCL that recently resumed sale of the item after seven months.
Meanwhile, the BCMCL authorities suspended coal loading into trucks as not a single truck left the mine area since Tuesday.
During a visit to the mine site on Tuesday, this correspondent found a seven kilometre long queue of trucks on the highway in front of the mine.
The number of trucks would be around 2,500 and there are at least three people including the driver and the helper with each truck, locals said.
Over 7,500 people coming from different districts are staying near the mine area amid problem of accommodation, food, water, and sanitation, said Dulal Mia, a truck driver of Panchagarh.
The ongoing situation adds to the problems of industrial units including brick fields that are in dire need of coal, said Dulal Ahmed of Sirajganj, who has been staying at the mine site for the last three days.
During political agitation last year, the area saw similar situation although the number of stranded trucks was lower that time, said stakeholders.
They urged the political parties to call off their programme to mitigate the sufferings of people.
The law enforcers are also facing difficulty to maintain law and order in the area amid the presence of so many additional people, locals said.
Police arrested a truck helper for committing a crime in BCMCL area, but they later released him on Tuesday as the truckers blocked a nearby rail track.
It will not be possible to start further loading of coal into the trucks if vehicular movement remains stalled, said Shariful Islam, deputy general manager of BCMCL.
The brick field operators badly need coal to start brick baking during the ongoing peak season as the process is already late this year due to coal shortage, said Avijit Basak, operator of a brick kiln at Madhabpur village in Dinajpur Sadar upazila.
A large number of trucks are also stranded at Hili land port.
Traders at Hili land port said they loaded these trucks for sending to different places of the country with hope that BNP would not impose any hartal or blockade ahead of Biswa Ijtema on the outskirts of the capital.
Nepal Chakroborty, director of Panama Port Link Ltd of Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur, said they are worried as many trucks are loaded with perishable imported goods.
Comments