Readymade garment workers on Monday blocked the airport road as well as the elevated expressway in Banani鈥檚 Chairmanbari area in the capital Dhaka, protesting at the death of a fellow worker in a road accident in the morning.
Several hundred RMG workers blocked the busy road for about seven hours, demanding justice for their fellow worker Minara, who was run over by a covered van while she was crossing the airport road at Chairmanbari at about 6:45am, triggering severe traffic congestions at Banani and in other areas across the city throughout the day.
In the accident, another RMG worker was injured, according to the police.
Traffic movement through the expressway was also suspended for more than two hours, according to commuters and officials concerned.
The blockade affected multiple routes across the city and commuters from all walks of life, especially office-goers and air passengers, suffered immensely due to the blockade that lasted for about seven hours.
The protesting RMG workers blocked the elevated expressway at about 8:40am, disrupting vehicular movement on different roads, said Hasib Hasan Khan, First Dhaka Elevated Expressway Company Limited manager for operations and maintenance.
鈥榃e kept the expressway closed for more than two hours as the protesters took positions on the expressway,鈥� he said, adding that operation on expressway resumed at about 11:00am.
Banani police station officer-in-charge Rasel Sarwar said that RMG workers blocked the Chairmanbari road at about 7:00pm after the accident that killed Masud Garments Ltd worker Minara, 19.
鈥楾he accident occurred at about 6:45am on Monday as a pick-up van hit two RMG workers 鈥� Minara and Sumaiya. Minara died on the spot while injured Sumaiya was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital,鈥� he said.
The traffic movement had become normal since the protesters left the road at about 1:30pm, he said, adding that the covered van was seized while the police was trying to apprehend the driver.
The blockade created huge tailbacks on either side of the roads at Banani, Uttara, Khilkhet, Gulshan and in other areas in the city. Pedestrians were seen using the footpaths to reach their destinations, but even the footpaths were overcrowded.
Many of the commuters expressed their frustration on social media platforms over the severe traffic congestions on the day.
An office goer wrote saying that he left home for office at about 7:00am and got stuck for three and a half hours on the elevated expressway.
鈥業 ultimately reached my office at about 11:00am while I was supposed be there by 9:30am,鈥� he posted.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority on Monday temporarily suspended the registration of the pickup van.
The BRTA鈥檚 Dhaka Metro-2 Circle in Ekuria area issued a letter to the pickup van鈥檚 owner Md Titon Islam from Lakshmidhordiya of Dhopail under Mirpur in Kushtia.
The letter was signed by BRTA deputy director (engineering) Md Sanaul Haque.
