Several hundred villagers in Karnaphuli upazila of Chattogram blocked roads, protesting the authorities’ ‘failure’ to curb recurring elephant attacks, on Thursday.
Hundreds of villagers gathered in the morning and blocked the PAB road in front of Daulatpur School, causing severe traffic congestion.
The protesters said that they staged demonstration as the authorities failed to take effective measures to control the elephant menace despite a four-day deadline given earlier.
They vowed to continue their movement until a permanent solution is ensured.
The villagers also blocked Jailaghata section of the CUFL road in Anwara, worsening the traffic situation in the upazila.
During the demonstration, two teams from the army arrived at the scene to bring the situation under control.
However, no police units from Karnaphuli police station were seen at the spot, locals claimed.
The unrest began on Saturday when a two-month-old child was killed in an elephant attack.
The subsequent six-hour-long protest ended after local administration sought four days to resolve the problem.
Wasim Akram, a student at Chittagong University, said that environment, forest and climate change adviser had to give them a clear assurance—either in person or over the phone—about when the issue would be resolved. ‘Otherwise, we will not withdraw our protest.’
‘Meanwhile, the Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone is maintaining a silent stance on this matter,’ he added.
KEPZ assistant managing director Mushfiqur Rahman said that the KEPZ was a major industrial zone, and they never faced such issues before.
‘We also want a quick resolution. We have repeatedly written to the forest department, but no effective measures have been taken. However, we are ready to cooperate in any way necessary,’ he added.
Karnaphuli zone assistant commissioner Jamal Uddin Chowdhury said that managing the elephant issue fell under the jurisdiction of the upazila administration and the forest department. ‘However, we will take measures to ease public suffering.’
Attempts to reach Karnaphuli police station officer-in-charge Muhammad Sharif for comments went unanswered.