Rock lifters block road protesting dredger use
Several hundred manual rock lifters barricaded different points of Panchagarh-Tentulia highway under Sadar and Tentulia upazila yesterday protesting extraction by dredgers.
Vehicular movement on the road came to a halt since morning because of the agitation in Sadar and Tentulia upazilas.
Over a hundred vehicles, including long distance passenger buses and goods laden trucks remained stranded, much to the sufferings of traders and commuters.
Import and export activities at Banglabandha land port was also disrupted due to the rock workers' programme.
Police and local sources said, the rock lifters put up road barricades in Bhajanpur, Buraburi Bazar areas under Tentulia upazila and Dashmile under Sadar upazila with the help of electric poles and trees trunks, demanding steps to stop use of dredger machines.
The leaders of the workers alleged that a vested quarter was lifting rocks with dredger machines illegally, 'managing' the ruling party leaders and officials of civil and police administration and ignoring the threat of ecological disaster.
Contacted, general rock lifters' leader Muktarul Haque, also the chairman of Tentulia upazila parishad, told this correspondent over cell phone that the use of dredgers would leave hundreds of people of the area unemployed.
A decision to stop use of dredger machine was taken at a meeting at Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office on June 30 but to no effect yet, he said.
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