Truckers who enforced a blockade programme at the main entry route of the district Humayun Rashid Square protesting an attack on them by locals on Friday withdrew their blockade Saturday afternoon following a fruitful meeting with the Deputy Commissioner.
They withdrew the blockade after a meeting held among Deputy Commissioner, truck owners, workers and local political leaders at noon.
In the meeting, the time for entrance of truck to the city was fixed from 6pm to 9 am instead of 5 pm to 8 am. Besides, the local administration assured them of taking steps against the people involved in vandalism of trucks at Pathantula in the city.
Sylhet district truck workers’ union president Abu Sarkar said they have withdrawn the blockade for fixing new schedule for entrance of trucks to the city and getting assurance from the administration regarding the arrest of the attackers.
Sylhet District Truck Workers Union (SDTWU) started the blockade programme on eight entry roads, including Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, Sylhet-Tamabil Road and Pirer Bazar Road, at 9.00pm on Friday protesting an attack on them by locals, which left their about 46 trucks damaged.
Hundreds of truckers blocked the main entry route Humaiun Rashid Square of the district by placing their vehicles haphazardly, creating immense tailback there.
Due to the blockade, thousands of vehicles were seen stranded on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway from the city to Telibazar of Dakkhin Surma upazila.
Mentionable, locals vandalised at least 46 trucks at different points of the city on Friday night, protesting entry of trucks into the city before 10.00pm.
The vandalism erupted from an accident when a CNG-run auto-rickshaw passenger was crushed to death under the wheels of a truck in Pathantula of the city on Wednesday night.
Later, local people blocked several roads protesting the incident and demanded the local administration take steps not to allow trucks to enter the city before 10.00pm.
As the trucks started entering the city again on Friday evening, the angry city dwellers vandalised 46 trucks on the Sylhet-Sunamganj Road.
Source: UNBConnect
