Air passengers, especially those departing for overseas jobs, have suffered because of blockade of roads and railways by anti-quota protesters across the country on Wednesday as many had to reach the airport in Dhaka hours before their scheduled journeys.
To reach the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital from different districts of the country, passengers faced acute traffic jam at different points while many others reached the airport a day earlier to avoid uncertainty.
A Cyprus bound migrant worker Mohammad Ali was seen to have walked several kilometers from Bijoysharani to the HSIA as the quota reform protesters blocked road and rail route in the capital鈥檚 Mohakhali.
Several hundred students from different educational institutions of the area blocked the Mohakhali intersection disrupting traffic movement as part of the country-wide demonstration demanding quota in public services to be nullified and cancelled.
Mohammad Ali said that he was aware about the protest, considering that he started from Titas in Brahmanbaria at 6:00am for his flight at 7:40pm.
As he reached the airport with his luggage on him at about 2:00 p.m. he wondered if he had made it on time.
He had also spent eight hours extra on his journey while it was a matter of four hours journey on regular days.聽
鈥業 was three hours on the same spot and now am walking to reach airport,鈥� he said.
A Cox鈥檚 Bazar bound student Mim Akter missed her flight scheduled at 11am.
鈥業 know students were protesting at Shahbagh. So I hired a CNG from capital鈥檚 Lalbagh to reach the airport but faced blockades at Mohakhali at 10:00am,鈥� she said with sorrow.
Comilla鈥檚 Md Sharif Khan said that he was waiting at the airport with his bag and baggage from Tuesday night to avoid uncertainty over his departure to Dubai.
The migrant worker said that he will fly at 10:30pm but passed the night at the airport.
鈥業f there were no blockades, I could reach airport from Comilla within four hours,鈥� he said, tired.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh officials said that 76 flights scheduled to go abroad on Wednesday carrying their passengers-mostly migrant workers-were delayed.
抖阴精品 correspondent talked to several passengers at the airport who mostly came to the airport last night to avoid uncertainty over their flight.
On the road to the airport, many passengers bound to leave for abroad were seen walking, holding their bags while some others travelled hiring rickshaw vans as well.
Naimul Hasan from Feni said that he could not walk anymore with his bags so he hired a rickshaw van from Kakoli.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all 56 per cent quotas鈥�30 per cent for freedom fighters鈥� descendants, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for ethnic communities and one per cent for physically challenged people鈥攊n civil service following student protests at that time.
On June 5, the High Court ordered the government to restore 30 per cent quota for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters while making recruitment in various cadre services.
Following this order, students again took the street for quota reformation.
