72-hour transport strike begins in Sylhet division
Road communication of Sylhet division with the rest of the country remains suspended since this morning following a 72-hour transport strike.
Greater Sylhet Stone-related Traders and Workers Union Stone in connivance with transport workers reportedly enforced the strike at 6:00am today with a demand to resume stone extraction, reports our Sylhet correspondent.
They, however, have assured to follow environment-friendly manual method if the district administration allows them to begin stone extraction.
Since this morning, no vehicles left or entered Sylhet as transport workers blocked all the access points. The strike is being observed in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj but Sunamganj district's transport workers denied to join the strike.
Extracting stones from different quarries and nearby sites using heavy machineries had become a serious environmental concern over the decade, and finally the administration managed to control the situation this year in four upazilas of Sylhet.
The environmental activists termed their demand as "unjust" and "unfair".
To settle the matter, Sylhet District Administration organised a meeting with stone and transport workers yesterday afternoon, but there was no fruitful outcome.
Abdul Jalil, convenor of the union, said, "There are around 15 lakh seasonal stone workers who work in the quarries during the season of December to March. Moreover, there are thousands of transport and stone crusher workers. We are demanding for ensuring livelihood of these people."
"We urged administration to give us a timeframe to resolve the issue, but as they failed, we're continuing our strike," he said.
Abdul Muhit, general secretary of Road Transport Workers Union's Sylhet district unit, said, "Stone transport workers and we are all part of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation. That's why we had to stand with them to realise their demands and the federation also instructs us that way."
Selim Ahmed Folik, president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation's Sylhet divisional unit, said, "When the stone transport workers call strike, they block all roads and public transport also faces problem. That's the reason, we had to stand with them so that we don't face problems during their strike and their problems resolves for good."
However, Folik, also the president of Road Transport Workers Union's Sylhet district unit, said he didn't know if the federation instructed to join the strike.
The rise of stone extraction started in Companiganj, Gowainghat, Jaintiapur and Kanaighat upazilas in Sylhet over last two decades. The High Court through issuing several orders managed to stop use of machineries for extraction.
But the stone traders continued using illegal means while extracting stones.
Around 80 workers died in these pits during 2017 to last year.
This year, during the very first months of coronavirus pandemic, the administration strictly started enforcing laws to stop illegal stone extraction. Bureau of Mining Development has also stopped leasing quarries.
As the season of stone extraction begins, the traders convinced the transport workers to join the protest programme.
The workers of commodity-carrying transports observed two-day strike on December 9 and 10 in the division over the same issues. They also joined the ongoing strike.
Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) Sylhet chapter, said, "There's no way the stone traders extract stones manually, they never did. Yet, they are trying to pressurise the government through enforcing the strike in connivance with transport workers, causing sufferings to general people".
"Their demand is unjust and unfair in every means and we demand that the stone extraction should not be given permission," he said.
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