Staff Reporter:
Workers of Eurozone Fashion Garments once again staged demonstrations in the capital’s Kuril area on Thursday demanding unpaid wages and allowances.
Just nine days earlier on 2 September, the workers blocked the same road for four hours over the same issue.
They withdrew after being assured that the dues would be cleared by 10 September. As the assurance was not kept, the workers resumed protests around 3pm on Thursday.
Traffic movement on both lanes of the area came to a halt, leading to severe traffic congestion.
Gulshan Traffic Division reported that around 500–600 workers blocked the incoming and outgoing roads in Kuril-Badda, cutting communication from Kuril to Badda, Uttara and Mirpur.
At the same time, about 200 workers blocked both directions of the Dhaka–Uttara–Mymensingh highway on Airport Road.
Abdul Momen, a private jobholder, said “Such blockades during office hours cause huge public suffering. I planned to travel outside Dhaka with my family on Thursday night, but now it seems I may not even reach home.”
Commuters endured extreme suffering. Rainwater had already caused waterlogging in several spots, worsening the congestion. Working people returning home faced unbearable delays.
Another passenger, Sakib Rahman, said “I was going to Bashundhara from Mirpur, but vehicles were completely stuck. I had to walk from Kachukhet to Bashundhara.”
Saddam Hossain, a garment worker, said “We will not leave the streets unless our demands are met. Earlier in the afternoon, police beat us. Around 10 of us have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and another 10 to Kurmitola Hospital with injuries.”
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Gulshan Traffic Division Ziaur Rahman Zia said police rushed to the spot and were holding talks with the workers to bring the situation under control.
Around 6.20 pm, reporters at Kuril observed workers holding sticks and pieces of bricks while staging their protest.
